Traficant blames mayor for delay

McKelvey joined the congressman on a radio program today.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
BOARDMAN -- U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. upped the stakes in his verbal attack on Youngstown Mayor George M. McKelvey's role in the proposed civic center project.
"I think George should be more assertive, but every political figure works in different ways," Traficant, of Poland, said Wednesday after serving as host of the WKBN-AM radio show. "The mayor has to make a decision, but I will say this, and I'll say it right out: I think if [former Youngstown Mayor] Pat Ungaro was in that seat, this matter would have been resolved and we would have broken ground a long time ago."
Response: McKelvey doesn't mind the criticism nor the comparison to Ungaro, whom he appointed as one of his representatives on the arena board. McKelvey said he is doing all he can to move this project along and to bring city council and the arena board together.
"I have encouraged him to continue to attack me personally," McKelvey said of Traficant. "That has the potential of reducing tensions between the arena board and city council. If he's attacking me, he's not attacking the arena board members and council members."
McKelvey said he would not lower himself "to personal attacks or making baseless allegations." But McKelvey wonders why Traficant is attacking him when he is doing all he can to iron out the problems between council and the arena board.
"One always has to look below the surface of his comments to understand what potentially his real motivations are," McKelvey said. "I haven't determined what they are. Is it to deflect criticism from his current dilemma that he faces? Does he perceive me as a political threat?"
Traficant's current dilemma is a 10-count criminal indictment charging him with bribery, racketeering and tax evasion.
Meeting: City council meets today to consider several pieces of legislation to abolish the arena board. Council postponed a vote on those measures last week. The arena board then approved a contract that appears to give council the outright authority it has sought over the project.
Traficant, D-17th, said he entered the fray at the last minute because of the council vote. The congressman, who was responsible for obtaining $26.8 million from the federal government for the project, said the elimination of the arena board would be a "tragic mistake."
Traficant said McKelvey should be more vocal about maintaining the arena board. McKelvey said he does not know what more he can do to help.
"I've repeatedly said I support a contract between council and the arena board," McKelvey said. "If he thinks I'm going to call council names and berate them, I'm not going to do that."
McKelvey said he has tried to contact Traficant during the past year to discuss the arena project and the congressman has not returned any of his phone calls.
Today's show: At Traficant's invitation, McKelvey appeared on the talk show today, along with Ungaro.
"There's a willingness to strike a partnership with the arena board to move this project forward," McKelvey told Traficant during the broadcast.
The three discussed potential sites for the facility, with Ungaro and Traficant saying they favor a location on the west end of downtown. The preferred site for city officials is land between the South Avenue and Market Street bridges. But McKelvey said if a private developer interested in investing in the project wants a different location, it would be moved.
During today's show, Traficant praised Ungaro as "one of the best leaders we have" and said "he's the one guy who could beat me" for Congress.
Ungaro praised Traficant for his ability to obtain the $26.8 million.
"I hate for it to sound like a lovefest, but to get that money, you're the only one who did that," he said.
Nemenz: Also after Wednesday's show, Traficant would not comment on the impact on his case of documents filed last week by federal prosecutors accusing the congressman of shaking down grocery store owner Henry Nemenz.
Nemenz will be called as a witness in Traficant's case to say that the congressman paid him only $25,000 for a $90,000 pole barn-riding arena at his family farm and instead of paying the rest, offered to intercede in a labor dispute on Nemenz's behalf.
"I can't talk about what Henry Nemenz does or anyone does, but I harbor no hard feelings against anybody who's trying to protect their freedom, their business and their money," Traficant said. "The way this case has been orchestrated, every single person involved has an awful lot to lose. If I was on their side of the aisle, I'd take care of myself."
Traficant's duties on the talk show will conclude Friday.