A strong House delegation

A strong House delegation
Mahoning County voters have an opportunity to strengthen the region's delegation to the Ohio House of Representatives by electing two new faces and returning the third at the Nov. 7 election.
We think the Valley will be best served by choosing Democrat John Boccieri to replace Republican Ron Hood; Democrat Ken Carano over his Republican opponent, Nancy Hull, and Rep. Sylvester Patton, the Democratic incumbent, over Libertarian challenger, John K. Fockler Jr.
In the 57th District, residents have been ill-served by Hood, whose refusal to be interviewed by The Vindicator's editorial board echoes his refusal to participate in other candidate forums, to return constituent phone calls or to carry the needs of all district citizens to Columbus. Clearly, it's time for a change.
Boccieri: John Boccieri, a C-130 pilot in the U.S. Air Force Reserves who holds a master's degree in public administration and business, clearly understands the issues facing Ohio.
Although we did not endorse Boccieri in the primary -- we were concerned then that he offered political platitudes rather than concrete solutions to the state's problems -- he has certainly done his homework in the interim.
With his top priority securing state funding for economic development, he is particularly looking to attract food-processing facilities to the region, thus brining in jobs while helping local farmers. Boccieri is also committed to moving away from the property tax to fund Ohio public education.
The 65th House seat is open because Rep. Rob Gerberry has reached the limit of his term in office and is now seeking the post of Mahoning County Recorder.
Austintown Township Trustee Kenneth A, Carano secured the Democratic nomination in the primary, Republic nominee Nancy Hull, a member of the Boardman Board of Education, ran unopposed.
Both candidates have served their communities well and have good records of public service. Carano is retiring after 32 years as a teacher and head coach of the highly successful Austintown Fitch Speech and Debate team, and intends to work full time representing the 65th District. Mrs. Hull is a teacher and guidance counselor who was active in the PTA, as well.
Carano: But in addressing the issues -- especially school funding and accountability -- Carano offers a more definitive course than his opponent. He opposes deregulation because he worries about the consumer and opposes charter schools as entities more concerned with making money than educating children. He "absolutely believes in accountability" and does favor testing.
Moreover, Carano favors a regional approach to meeting the needs of the Valley -- an outlook others would do well to emulate.
Patton, who was appointed to the 64th House seat vacated by now state Sen. Bob Hagan, was elected to the seat in 1998 and is now running for re-election. His opponent, Fockler, a Struthers resident and hotel employee, admits he doesn't expect to win -- unless independents, Republicans and non-voters turn out and vote for him. They would be ill-served in doing so. The Libertarian position on too many issues is radical in the extreme.
Patton: Voters do have a responsible choice in Patton, however. In the next House, he will sit on the finance committee and controlling board, in both of which positions he will be able to bring state dollars back to Youngstown. The relationships he has built with others in the Statehouse can only be expected to grow,
Whether voters live in the 57th, 64th or 65th districts they can elect a representative who will serve them well.
An easy choice for voters
One way to judge the effectiveness and strength of an officeholder is to look at the kind of campaign being waged against her in an election. When a challenger even fails to respond to a newspaper's invitation to appear for an endorsement interview conducted by the editorial board, the message, from this newspaper's point of view, is clear: This isn't a serious challenge.
There are two examples of this kind of AWOL campaign in Trumbull County. Republican Don Manning is on the Nov. 7 general election ballot as running against county Clerk of Courts Margaret R. O'Brien, while Republican Richard Nevard is on the ballot as challenging county Recorder Diana Marchese.
Since neither Manning nor Nevard provided us with information about their candidacies, we cannot consider them for endorsement.
Support: But even if they had participated in the interview process, they would have had to prove to us that our support of O'Brien and Marchese is wrong.
We have looked at the operations of the clerk of courts and recorder's offices and can find little that disturbs us.
O'Brien is completing her third four-year term, while Marchese is in her second term.
They have earned re-election.