Tsagaris replaces Traficant as 'king'

There were winners and losers in the Nov. 5 general election. And, of course, there were the doozers. What's a doozer? It's someone who on the night of the election makes such an outrageous statement that a political commentator naturally thinks, "column fodder." (The word was created out of "doozy," which can be found in the dictionary.)
Over the years, James A. Traficant Jr. reigned as the King of the Doozers. From his first race in 1980 -- he ran for sheriff of Mahoning County and won -- to his last race in 2000, when he won a ninth, two-year term as congressman from the 17th House District, Traficant punctuated his victory addresses with quips about his opponents. He came up with a dozen different ways of saying, "My challenger can kiss my a--."
Federal prisoner
But Traficant wasn't around Nov. 5 to entertain the press -- even though he was on the ballot as an independent candidate for Congress in the reconfigured 17th District. The long-time Democratic legislator is in the federal penitentiary serving an eight-year sentence after being convicted by a jury of 10 criminal charges, including racketeering, bribery and tax evasion.
It didn't take long, however, for someone to succeed Traficant as "king." Hail, Trumbull County Commissioner James Tsagaris, who was elected to a second, four-year term.
Here's what Tsagaris had to say after he received 38,407 votes to 29,675 for Republican Don Manning: "They [the voters] didn't believe him [Manning.] They didn't believe what the newspapers wrote. The voters know I did what I promised I would do. That is real integrity."
And now for the doozy: The commissioner said the voters responded to his dedication to improving the way Trumbull County buys its supplies.
(Talk about Grade A column fodder.)
Tsagaris is the guy who personally lobbied for one company to get the contracts for the food supplied to the jail and juvenile justice center. That tidbit of information was uncovered by Vindicator reporters in their investigation of the county's practice of buying supplies without seeking competitive bids. Their probe revealed that Tsagaris and purchasing agent Tony Carson secured $159,000 worth of food service contracts for Acme Steak Co. Inc. of Youngstown. Acme had never done business with the county until the two county officials pitched the company to the county jail and the juvenile justice center.
Lower prices?
Tsagaris and Carson contended that the prices Acme was willing to charge were lower than what the county had been paying. But since no competitive bids were sought for the food service contracts, there wasn't any way to determine whether Trumbull County was getting the best deal.
And Tsagaris has the temerity to suggest that he is dedicated to improving the way Trumbull County buys supplies.
But does the commissioner stop while he's ahead? Of course not. Here's what he promised for his next term: "I'm just going to work for the people, just like I did for the last four years." (Give the man the crown.)
However, challenging Tsagaris for title was Jim Bunosky, Traficant's campaign manager, who does not have the former congressman's flair, but certainly seemed to have learned a thing of two from his hero about the relationship between politics and human anatomy.
Asked election night if he had any congratulatory words for Democrat Tim Ryan, the state senator from Niles who defeated Traficant and Republican Ann Womer Benjamin, here's what Bunosky offered: "Tim Ryan couldn't make a pimple on Jim Traficant's a--." There's that three-letter word again.
But like Tsagaris, the campaign manager couldn't just stop with the quip. He had to bring up the big "C" -- Conspiracy. Bunosky contended that the boards of elections in the four counties that make up the 17th District conspired against Traficant, resulting in his receiving only 15 percent of the vote. "He got at least 25 percent of the vote," he said of Traficant's showing. "They should investigate the boards of elections. But who would do it? The FBI?"
Brain-dead
If an investigation of the 17th District race is warranted, it should focus on the 27,487 voters who cast their ballots for Traficant -- a convicted felon, a jailbird, an individual who used his public position for personal gain, a congressman who demanded and received kickbacks from his employees.
Talk about brain-dead.