Tuesday, October 15, 2002
When we endorsed Atty. Sandra Stabile Harwood last April for the Democratic nomination for the 65th Ohio House District seat, we speculated that our decision would raise eyebrows because she had never run for office and was competing with well-entrenched politicos. But it seems that our opinion of her was shared by a large number of Democratic voters in the district. Harwood won the primary.
She defeated Joseph Melfi, former mayor of Girard, and Barry Profato, former councilman and council president in Niles. The seat is being vacated by another prominent Trumbull County politician, Anthony Latell, who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for the 17th District Congressional seat.
Based on her victory in May, Harwood is the favorite to win next month's general election. But that isn't the reason we again endorse her.
The more we get to know Harwood, a lawyer in private practice and attorney and administrative hearing officer for the Trumbull County Child Support Enforcement Agency, and hear her discuss the issues that are important to the 65th District and the region, the more she impresses us.
There are two other candidates in the race, Republican James A. Calko Jr., a 21-year-old junior in political science at Youngstown State University, and Werner Lange, a minister and former college teacher who is running as an independent.
Calko, making his first bid for political office, is certainly enthusiastic and says this area needs "new faces and new ideas to help with a rebirth of the Valley," but his inexperience comes through when he discusses issues such as the state budget.
Lange, who has run for office before, says that one of his priorities is to revive democracy, and he points to the case of former Congressman James A. Traficant Jr., whom he strongly supports, to bolster his contention that the federal government is out of control.
Harwood, on the other hand, recognizes that the population of the Mahoning Valley is aging and that the interests of retirees, especially those who have lost their health insurance due to companies filing bankruptcy, must be put on the legislative front burner.
In that regard, the Democratic nominee is advocating the Senior Health Insurance Prescription Program, which would provide all seniors with health care and prescription drug coverage.
She is unclear as to how the state, which is facing a $4 billion general fund deficit in the next biennium, would pay for the program, but she contends that this is an issue neither party can ignore.
We reiterate our support for Harwood.
Unfortunately, we can't say the same about another officeholder in Trumbull County who has received this newspaper's backing in the past.
64th House District
Daniel Sferra, the former mayor of Warren, is seeking re-election to the 64th Ohio House District, and is being challenged by Republican Randy Law.
Law, who ran unsuccessfully for the state Senate two years ago, did not keep his appointment with The Vindicator editorial board and, therefore, cannot be considered for our endorsement.
Sferra, on the other hand, appeared, but failed to adequately explain his role, while he was mayor, in the city of Warren's contractual relationship with Tony Joy, who operates the city-owned Avalon South Golf Course. Questions have been raised about the city's dealings with Joy.
Sferra's name was also mentioned by James A. Sabatine, a paving contractor who pleaded guilty to racketeering and is cooperating with the federal government. Sabatine testified under oath during Traficant's criminal trial that he not only bribed the congressman, but also other current and former public officials, including Sferra.
The state representative has denied Sabatine's allegation.
But given the on-going federal investigation of government corruption in Trumbull County, we are hard-pressed to embrace Sferra this year.