Monday, 21 News reported that some Mahoning Valley leaders were surprised to learn they weren't informed about the search for the next CEO of Lake to River, the Valley's JobsOhio network partner.

At a media briefing Tuesday to announce the departure of current interim-CEO Alexa Sweeney Blackann, representatives argued that Lake to River is not required to share more with the public.

"It's a private nonprofit," Sweeney said, "Only what is required to be shared would be shared. Otherwise, it's a private nonprofit, just like any nonprofit."

To clarify, Lake to River helps identify projects and lobbies for them.

JobsOhio, while not an official state agency, is funded through liquor profits. That's money that, before JobsOhio's formation, was a part of the state budget and was only privatized to fund JobsOhio. 

Sweeny reiterated that Lake to River's role has provided this region with a better seat at the table in Columbus.

"[We] execute individual projects for companies coming in to expand, attract, grow, add workforce, and look for a site," she added, "That's the work that we do every day."

That means Lake to River has a key role in steering money to projects they support, and there's no way to track whether there are any conflicts of interest.

"Everything we do avoids the conflict of interest," Sweeney added, "We're held to very high standards of ethical behavior. And anytime there's a conflict of interest, we address it with Jobs Ohio, and they take the project, the company, and the project from there."

This can lead to questions, such as when JobsOhio awarded millions to the West Warren industrial project, despite Lake to River board chair Charles George co-owning the company.

Both groups said George took no part in that decision, but now, George, as chairman, will be leading the secret search for the next CEO, and there's no public way of knowing if the person picked will have any personal or financial conflicts.

The board was not present at the briefing, and 21 News has not heard back from George after calling him. 

Sweeney said no taxpayer funds are going towards the hiring search.

Lake to River plans to hire its CEO by the end of the year.