PRESIDENTIAL RACE Bush, Kerry rake in money from the Mahoning Valley

Only two Democrats received local contributions of more than $50 apiece.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- In the battle for Mahoning Valley presidential campaign contributions, it's a two-person race so far: George W. Bush vs. John Kerry.
The Republican president and the Massachusetts senator who is considered a Democratic front-runner have received $17,000 and $26,350, respectively, from Valley residents for their election campaigns this year.
The only other presidential candidate to receive a contribution of $50 or more from a Valley resident is U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, another Democratic front-runner. State Sen. Marc Dann of Liberty, D-32nd, gave him $250.
Even U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich from nearby Cuyahoga County didn't get any contributions of $50 or more from a Valley resident.
Candidates don't have to list the names of those contributing less than $50 to their campaigns.
Who gave to Bush
Among the prominent local donors to Bush's re-election campaign were: Clarence Smith, Mahoning County Republican chairman and owner of several local businesses; David W. Johnson, former Columbiana County GOP chairman and owner of Summitville Tiles; Raymond J. Briya, chief financial officer for MS Consultants; Anthony J. Payiavlas, president of AVI Foodsystems Inc.; and John A. Payiavlas, AVI's chairman of the board.
Each gave the maximum $2,000 contribution to Bush.
Also giving $2,000 to Bush was Michael J. Kovach, president of City Machine Technologies Inc., whom Bush touted during a speech in Canton and a radio address in April as an example of someone who would benefit from the president's tax-cut plan.
Ohio was a key state captured by Bush in 2000 on his way to winning one of the closest presidential elections in the nation's history.
During the first six months of the year, Bush's campaign received $1.49 million from Ohio individuals, good enough for seventh-most from a state toward the president's re-election effort, says www.PoliticalMoneyLine.com, a Web site that monitors and analyzes federal campaign-finance reports.
Donors to Democrats
U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina raised $144,975 in Ohio, the most money among Democratic presidential candidates from Buckeye donors, but it is less than 10 percent of the amount collected by Bush in the state.
Of the $63,650 in contributions given by Ohio residents to Kerry, $26,350 -- or 41 percent -- came from Valley residents. Valley supporters are working out the details for a Kerry fund-raising visit to the area sometime in September or October.
Kerry ranks fourth among the nine Democratic presidential candidates for collecting campaign contributions from Ohio residents, PoliticalMoneyLine says.
Among Kerry's Valley donors are Anthony M. Cafaro, owner of the Cafaro Co., who gave $2,000; Atty. Michael S. Harshman, who gave $1,000; Mahoning County Commissioner Ed Reese, who is organizing Kerry's local visit and gave a $2,000 contribution; and Robert Wasko, a county elections board member, who gave $1,000.
skolnick@vindy.com