Sen. Ryan opens Youngstown HQ

By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- For those of you keeping score at home, the three 17th Congressional District candidates are now tied at two -- two campaign offices, that is.
Though none of the candidates' campaign offices would ever be confused for the Taj Mahal, Democrat Timothy J. Ryan's new digs on East Federal Plaza in Youngstown are rather modest in appearance.
The small room, located in the Mahoning County Democratic Party's headquarters, has a wooden desk, a lawn chair and a telephone.
Ryan, of Niles, says the new office makes it easier for supporters in Mahoning County to pick up campaign materials such as lawn signs and bumper stickers. Until now, supporters had to drive to Ryan's downtown Warren office to get the materials.
The Youngstown office will be manned by campaign volunteers and possibly a paid staffer, Ryan said.
A rental agreement has not been worked out with the Mahoning Democrats, but a deal will be reached soon, Ryan said.
Republican Ann Womer Benjamin of Aurora opened a campaign office in Girard last week. She already had an office in Ravenna.
Former U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. of Poland, an independent candidate who is serving an eight-year federal prison sentence for bribery and racketeering, also has offices in Ravenna -- next door to Womer Benjamin -- and in Girard.
Before they moved in, most of the candidates' campaign offices were vacant storefronts.
Portage, Summit
Ryan has no plans to open campaign offices in Portage and Summit counties, the western portion of the 17th District. But Ryan has made a number of trips to those two counties in the past few weeks.
"We've got a good shot to win Portage," Ryan said of Womer Benjamin's home county.
Ryan faired poorly in the Democratic primary in May in Portage and Summit, but because of large victories in Mahoning and Trumbull counties, where a majority of the district's residents live, he easily won the six-person race.
Also, Ryan has received the support of U.S. Rep. Thomas C. Sawyer, the Akron Democrat who finished second to Ryan in the May primary. Sawyer has hosted two events for Ryan in Akron in Summit County during the past month.
skolnick@vindy.com