Sunday, March 25, 2001
McKelvey would say only that his focus is on public service, not politics.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Percy Squire says his interest in running against Mayor George M. McKelvey would be significantly less if the mayor would endorse Judge Robert A. Douglas Jr., Squire's friend and former business partner, instead of criticizing him.
"Mayor McKelvey not endorsing Judge Douglas would be one of the primary reasons I would pursue the position of mayor," Squire said. "If Mayor McKelvey didn't support Judge Douglas, that would be an indication to me that he shouldn't be elected to a second term. That's a big factor."
Petitions circulate: Squire, a native Youngstowner and Columbus attorney, is circulating nominating petitions for a possible independent run for mayor in the Nov. 6 general election.
McKelvey is the only candidate on the May 8 Democratic primary ballot. Donald P. Connelly is running as a write-in candidate. There are no Republican candidates.
Squire said he is not pleased with McKelvey's critical comments about the municipal court judge, who allowed a 19-year-old charged in a January drive-by shooting to post a $5,000 bond. McKelvey said the bond should have been $500,000.
"It's unfortunate that someone should be criticized for doing their job in accordance with the law," Squire said. "The judge shouldn't be subject to a lot of Monday-morning quarterbacking and second-guessing from people who aren't armed with all the facts and really aren't equipped to make those decisions."
Seeking re-election: Judge Douglas is running for re-election in the Democratic primary against Anthony J. Farris, an assistant city prosecutor. There are no Republican candidates.
"Regardless of what any potential candidate for mayor says or does, my focus will remain on public service and not politics," is all McKelvey will say on the issue.
If Judge Douglas "really wants to be nasty about it," he could hold McKelvey in contempt of court for making public statements about pending litigation, Squire said.
"That's the reason the law gives judges that type of power because they can't defend themselves against these political broadsides," Squire said.
Squire has been running announcements on his local radio stations in support of Judge Douglas.
"The mayor's position on Judge Douglas is a strong factor in whether or not the African-American community ought to support the mayor," said Squire.
Enough blame: "It's inappropriate for a person who has control of a law-enforcement apparatus [the police department] to zero in on judges and try to place the blame on judges for the ills that are affecting the community," Squire said.
"There's enough blame to go around, especially in Youngstown. That, to me, is a very disappointing development, and it certainly is a big motivation for my consideration of challenging the mayor," he said.
Eligibility issue: If Squire does run, he can expect a legal fight over his eligibility.
The city charter says all mayoral candidates "shall have been an elector of the city for five years." The charter is not specific about which five years.
Squire changed his voter registration earlier this month from Columbus to Youngstown, where he owns a home.
Squire said he is investigating the residency eligibility.
If Squire runs, the Mahoning County Board of Elections would likely seek a legal opinion on his eligibility from Youngstown Law Director Robert Bush Jr., a McKelvey appointee.
Squire said he believes Bush would render an opinion based solely on the law.