GIRARD Committee members choose former mayor for council seat

Joseph Christopher, who garnered seven of the 13 votes, said a primary goal is bringing back laid-off city workers.
GIRARD -- A former mayor will fill a city council seat left vacant when Joseph Manente resigned his post Feb. 25.
Manente resigned because of poor health.
Joseph Christopher received seven of the 13 votes that Democratic precinct committee members cast during a special meeting Friday evening to choose among four individuals vying for the seat.
"Christopher has a long history of service to the city of Girard," said Nick Melfi, chairman of the Trumbull County Democratic Party. He listed the posts he's held and his many years of service during a two-minute address each of those seeking the seat made before committee members cast their votes. Christopher's experience, Melfi said, is one of the reasons he was elected to fill the vacancy.
Other candidates: Two newcomers, Deanna Teeter Maynard and Peter Shelby, and former city councilman John Bevilacqua were also vying for the seat. Teeter Maynard received three votes, Shelby received two and Bevilacqua received one.
"One of my primary aims as a councilman," Christopher said, "is to get laid-off city workers back to work."
Christopher served as 3rd Ward councilman, councilman-at large, safety director and service director. He has not held a political seat since he was appointed mayor of Girard in the early 1990s when his predecessor died.
Christopher also worked as superintendent of the 18-43-inch strip mill at McDonald Steel.
Leo Grimes, a former city councilman and council president, had also expressed interest in filling the vacant seat but withdrew before the meeting.