Campaigns pay off for sales tax, Ludt

The other half of Mahoning County's twin taxes expires in 2004.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County officials are looking ahead to 2004, when they'll be back on the campaign trail seeking renewal of a tax identical to one passed by voters Tuesday.
They intend to spend the next two years keeping voters informed about why the county needs the money and how it's spent.
The county has two 0.5 percent sales taxes on the books, one that expires Dec. 31. The other expires in December 2004. Each brings in about $12.5 million a year. Combined, they make up about half the county's general fund.
A renewal effort for the 2002 tax won by a comfortable margin Tuesday after being defeated in May.
Commissioner David Ludt had two reasons to celebrate Tuesday. Besides the sales tax's passing by more than 18,000 votes, he was easily re-elected to a second term as commissioner, defeating Jeff Groat, a former Austintown Township trustee, by more than 33,000 votes.
Spreading the word
Ludt said the tax was defeated in May because commissioners were lazy about informing the public.
"A lot of people worked very hard on this. That was the key," Ludt said. "I think we got the message out better this time than we ever have before."
Ludt said he never missed a chance to talk about the sales tax while he was out seeking votes for himself.
"When I campaigned for myself, I campaigned for the tax, too," he said.
Help of leaders
But even more important was the help of labor and business leaders, who led a grass-roots drive to spread the word about the tax, Ludt said. He said having them out front, instead of just the commissioners, brought credibility to the campaign.
"It's not self-serving that way," he said. "You don't have politicians asking for money."
Larry Fauver, president of the Greater Youngstown AFL-CIO, and Ralph Zerbonia of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, were among those who took to the streets in support of the tax.
The united front presented by the public and private sectors helped push the tax over the top, Fauver said.
"You've got to run a campaign. It's that simple," Zerbonia said. "You have to get out and take your message to the people. That didn't get done in May."
Pushing for permanent status
Ludt and Commissioner Vicki Allen Sherlock said they hope that voters will eventually be persuaded to approve a permanent sales tax instead of putting them on in five-year cycles.
"If we continue to prove ourselves as responsible stewards of the money, and keep showing them that the need is there, it's possible," Ludt said.
"That's certainly an option," Sherlock said. "But if you're going to make a change like that, you must put it to a vote of the people."
She said the fact that commissioners put this tax to a vote rather than imposing it, as they had been urged to do by labor and business leaders, gave commissioners more credibility with voters.
Commissioner Ed Reese said the wide margin of victory is a mandate for commissioners and other elected officials to keep government running smoothly and continue offering services in an efficient manner.
"This is huge for the county," he said.
bjackson@vindy.com