The outgoing Youngstown Municipal Clerk of Courts is considering her options after City Council rejected legislation that would have given her a retroactive raise Monday evening.

Sarah Brown-Clark has served at the Youngstown Municipal Clerk of Courts since she was elected in 1999. At the end of the month, she will retire from the role.

Before retiring, she asked Youngstown City Council to sponsor legislation to give her a raise; it's a raise she said is five years overdue.

Monday evening, council rejected the legislation in a 4-3 vote. It would give Brown-Clark an additional $7,181 that she says she is entitled to by Ohio law and the city's master salary ordinance.

Brown-Clark used to receive yearly raises with all the other elected officials. She would write to the city's finance director about getting her raise, who told her it would be handled by the finance department.

That changed in 2019, when Kyle Miasek took over as finance director. Brown-Clark said he wrongfully froze her salary, and as a result, the city owes her the $7,181 in backpay for what she should have been paid in 2023.

"The finance director does not have the authority to freeze elected official's salary," said Brown-Clark. "Kyle took it upon himself to freeze my salary."

Brown-Clark said she didn't raise any issue the first few years as to avoid any drama; but now that she's retiring, she wants what she is owed.

Miasek, however, said that since Youngstown is a charter city, the only people who can generate legislative requests are the mayor and city council. He added that Brown-Clark didn't approach council asking them to sponsor legislation until November of this year.

When asked why Brown-Clark was permitted to write to the city law director about her raises, Miasek said he did not know the answer to that question.

"I don't have that authority," said Miasek.

Council rejected the legislation, with Council members Julius Oliver, Pat Kelly, Anita Davis, and Basia Adamczak voting against the increase. Jimmy Hughes, Samantha Turner, and Mike Ray voted in Brown-Clark's favor.

Brown-Clark says her fight is not over, and she is exploring other legal options.

"I don't want to sue the city, I just want them to do what's right," said Brown-Clark.

"It is very disappointing because through life I have always tried to stand up for people being treated unjustly, and this is unjust," she added. "It was really disappointing to see them vote like that."