ELECTION NOTEBOOK

Full lot means victory
NILES -- It's easy to tell where the winner is hanging out by the number of cars in the parking lot. When Republican Ann Womer Benjamin gave her concession speech, about 50 cars were in the parking lot of the Mahoning Country Club. At the Fraternal Order of Eagles Club in Girard, the location of the James A. Traficant's election party, those on hand could find spots right near the building. But the parking lot outside Mollica's Banquet Center, where Democrat Timothy J. Ryan was holding his party after winning the 17th Congressional District race, was packed. Cars lined the street near the Niles facility as people inside yelled their support for Ryan during his victory speech.
BBC films in Valley
YOUNGSTOWN -- TV viewers in England interested in learning about the election process in the United States will get their lesson directly from the Mahoning Valley. The British Broadcasting Corp. had a film crew in the Valley for the past week for an upcoming documentary of democracy around the world. The BBC chose the Valley because its political consultant is from Cleveland and because of the continuing saga of former U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr., according to Suzannah Bates, a member of the film crew. The Valley show is part of a six-series program on democracy in the world. "We wanted to come to a place where most people have never heard of," Bates said.
Letting them eat cake
YOUNGSTOWN -- When it looked apparent that a 0.5-percent increase in Youngstown's income tax would pass, Barry Ervin left the Mahoning County Board of Elections to pick up a victory cake for the celebration party. Ervin, president of the Youngstown Police Association, said he had a backup plan for the cake if the tax had failed. "I would have scraped off the word victory, and we would have eaten the cake anyway," he said. Revenue from the increase will allow the city to bring back laid-off police and fire personnel.
Votes for Green Party
SHARON -- Despite losing the county and the race, AnnDrea Benson, the Green Party candidate for the 3rd Congressional District in western Pennsylvania, still managed to do well in Mercer County, where there are only 48 registered Green Party voters. Unofficial returns showed that Benson, who was a Democrat before switching in August to run against Republican incumbent Phil English of Erie, collected 4,700 votes in the county.