BOARDMAN Traficant, on talk show, suggests trial judge will not be impartial

The congressman criticized a Warren councilman during the broadcast, saying his city 'screwed up big time.'
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
BOARDMAN -- As host of a morning radio program today, U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. said little about his impending criminal trial on 10 felony counts but did have accusing words toward the judge overseeing his case.
"The judge will be with the government," Traficant, of Poland, D-17th, said about U.S. District Court Judge Lesley Brooks Wells. "If I die in that courtroom, I'll fight to the end."
Traficant's final pretrial hearing on charges including racketeering, bribery and tax evasion is set for Jan. 4. The trial is set for Feb. 4.
Traficant, who is defending himself even though he is not an attorney, has been urged by Judge Wells to hire a professional attorney. Traficant has strongly objected to that suggestion.
During his opening monologue, Traficant alluded to the trial, saying he's "under duress. I'm going over the falls in a barrel ... Since my last time here, it's been all downhill, but other than that I'm doing great."
Traficant was host of WKBN-AM radio's morning show, filling in for Dan Ryan. Traficant, who calls himself "the son of a truck driver," will also be host of the show Thursday.
As he did during his last stint as host of the program May 29 to June 1, Traficant equated the duties with conducting a train.
"All those getting on, get on. All those getting off, get off. I've got a train to run," Traficant told his listeners today.
Praise: An overwhelming majority of those calling Traficant on the air praised the nine-term congressman.
A female caller from Hubbard said that she would vote for Traficant again and again and that he was not like other politicians, whom she called communists. A male caller from Warren said that he'd vote for the congressman seven days a week because he doesn't "kow-tow to those suckers" and that any of his neighbors who don't vote for Traficant had better move.
Novak: Warren Councilman Alford Novak, D-2nd, who supports a proposal to have his city no longer represented by Traficant, asked the congressman on the air what has he done for Warren.
Traficant listed a number of Trumbull County projects that received federal money; none of the projects were in Warren.
Novak only identified himself as Al from Warren, but Traficant immediately recognized him. The congressman said he tried to get Warren to be host for a minor-league baseball stadium, but officials in that city rejected it. The facility was built in Niles by Cafaro Co.
"Save that preaching for the choir," Traficant told Novak. "I think Warren has screwed up big time."
Arena: Traficant, who obtained $26.8 million in federal money to build an arena in Youngstown, continued his criticism of city officials for considering the elimination of the arena board. He had previously said Youngstown Mayor George M. McKelvey lacked leadership when it came to this issue.
In a letter earlier this week to Traficant, McKelvey wrote that he would not get into an argument with the congressman on this issue. But McKelvey wrote that he would be willing to discuss the arena issue with Traficant on the radio.
Traficant said today that he would invite McKelvey and arena board members to appear on Thursday's show.
Traficant said McKelvey should take a page from the book of former Youngstown Mayor Patrick Ungaro, an arena board member, who made his opinions known when he ran the city.
Traficant praised Youngstown, saying it's the best town he's been in, and he would not want to live anywhere else. But a minute later, he said, "Youngstown died when we created a dead-end city," in reference to Federal Plaza's being closed to vehicular traffic.
skolnick@vindy.com