Login | May 15, 2025
Meet newly elected Mahoning County Recorder Richard S. Scarsella
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: December 12, 2024
As the newly elected Mahoning County Recorder, Richard S. Scarsella is determined to hit the ground running.
While his term does not start until the beginning of 2025, he’s already met with staff members and observed the office’s operations.
Located in the Mahoning County Courthouse, the recorder’s office contains county deeds and other documents dating back to the early 1800s.
As recorder, Scarsella oversees all operations and supervises a staff of seven.
“My two main goals are efficiency and productivity,” said Scarsella. “I bring a fresh perspective to the job, which is usually beneficial for any institution.”
Scarsella ran on the Republican ticket in November, unseating Democrat Noralynn Palermo, who had served as recorder for over 15 years.
He will be sworn in at 11 a.m. on Dec. 16 by Mahoning County Probate Court Judge Robert N. Rusu Jr. in the courthouse rotunda.
“I am proud of the fact that I ran a positive campaign and I never disparaged the incumbent or her office,” said Scarsella.
In fact, he’s gone even further, asking Palermo to stay on as his chief deputy, which she has agreed to do.
“Noralynn has a great deal of institutional knowledge because she has worked in the office for 50 years,” said Scarsella. “She is smart and I plan to utilize her strengths to improve efficiency and productivity and to manage the office.”
“I was flattered and very grateful when I was offered the position of chief deputy,” said Palermo. “My loss was disappointing of course, but now I have an opportunity to stay on with Richard.
“I was not ready to retire,” she said. “I pretty much know all there is to know about the office, so I will be able to help him learn the operations.
“The employees here are all open to new ways of doing things, so we’ll see what changes he wants to make,” said Palermo.
A native of Youngstown, Scarsella spent the majority of his career in education, holding a number of supervisory roles over the years.
When he retired at the end of May, he was the adult education recruiter and career advisor for Choffin Career & Technical Center (CTC) in the Youngstown City School District.
“I’ve worked with all age groups, including adults,” said Scarsella. “I particularly enjoy teaching at-risk populations.”
Though he chose the education field, it was not a given.
His family owned businesses in Youngstown, including Scarsella Furniture, Marie Antoinette Bridal and Edie’s Bridal, where he worked at various times when he was younger.
“Working with family was difficult, so I decided on another career pathway,” said Scarsella.
In addition to his interest in education, Scarsella has a passion for history, which was furthered by extensive travel while part of a Foreign Study League.
Upon graduating from Ursuline High School, he went to Western Europe for the summer, attending classes at various colleges, including the University of London for several weeks.
At Boston College, he majored in both secondary education and history and minored in business.
He also spent the summer following his freshman year in Eastern Europe, visiting and studying in the former Soviet Union, including Russia and Ukraine, East Germany and Poland.
“Having been in both Russia and Ukraine definitely gives you a unique perspective on the war that’s taking place,” said Scarsella.
“One reason that I was attracted to the recorder position was my education as a historian,” he said. “The recorder is the guardian or curator of so many historical county documents.”
After graduating from Boston College in 1976, he returned to Youngstown as co-owner of Scarsella Furniture.
During that same period, he was also a limited-service instructor at Youngstown State University (YSU) and the Mahoning County Career & Technical Center.
He was later employed by the Youngstown City School District, working with adults and at-risk student populations, while earning two master’s degrees from Youngstown State University—one in special education in 2000 and a second in educational administration in 2001.
Prior to taking on a variety of administrative roles in the Youngstown City School District (YCSD) and Choffin CTC in 2010, he was a special education intervention specialist for 15 years in various buildings.
While serving in that role, he wrote a book, entitled “Memories and Melancholy: Reflections on the Mahoning Valley and Youngstown, Ohio,” which was published in 2005. The book delves into the city’s rich history, including notable buildings and places like Idora Park, a former amusement park that he and other advocates tried to save.
Years later, Scarsella facilitated the purchase of the former St. Casimir Church from the Diocese of Youngstown, which was renamed the Brier Hill Cultural Center.
In August 2014, Scarsella completed the Transition-to-Work Endorsement Program at Kent State University.
During his long tenure in the Youngstown City School District central office and Choffin CTC, he also served as district transition supervisor and district special education supervisor, among many other roles.
“Wherever I was needed I was assigned,” said Scarsella. “As a generalist, I brought a skill set which applied to various settings and different job titles.”
A resident of Boardman Township, Scarsella and his wife Debbie, a retired superintendent in the Springfield Local School District in Mahoning County, have one adult daughter, Natalie Friend. She is an assistant principal in the Canal Winchester Local School District in Ohio.
Although he retired as an educator, Scarsella continues to be a member of the Ohio School Boards Association.
He remains heavily involved in nonprofit work.
Scarsella is a member of the Boardman Civic Association and the Ashtabula Elks Lodge and serves on the boards of the Youngstown Steel Heritage Museum, the Mahoning County Career & Technical Center Foundation, the Boardman Historical Society and is the chairman of the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society.
Although he’s new to the recorder position, Scarsella has and continues to hold public office, with 20 years of governing experience.
He currently serves as president of the governing board at the Mahoning County Career & Technical Center.
He is also a governing board member and former president of the Mahoning County Educational Service Center and the Mahoning Valley Regional Council of Governments.
In addition he is a former president and current member of the board of supervisors at the Mahoning Soil & Water Conservation District.
As recorder Scarsella said he plans to utilize his public service experience to increase the functionality of the office.
“I plan to have performance audits done on all our operations to see what we do well and what areas need improvement,” said Scarsella. “I am also going to do a technology review to make sure we are up to date on all our software and cybersecurity protocols. As part of the review, we will evaluate how or whether to employ artificial intelligence.”
To ensure top-notch customer service, Scarsella also plans to provide staff with ongoing professional development.
“Each person will be given a framework from which to create a self-directed professional development plan and will be expected to carry out the goals, with end-of-year evaluations based partially on the outcomes of those plans.
“I can’t wait to begin,” said Scarsella. “There are a lot of nice people in the office and the Mahoning County Courthouse is a beautiful historical building to work in.”