Sunday, August 31, 2003
When staff members of ex-Congressman James A. Traficant Jr., currently a guest of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, filed petitions to run for elective office, the complexion of the November general election changed somewhat. The issue of public corruption is now on the front burner -- not because Linda J. Kovachik and George Buccella were a part of Traficant's criminal cabal, but because of their close ties to him.
Kovachik is challenging Boardman Township Trustee Elaine Mancini, while Buccella is trying to make a comeback as a Weathersfield Township trustee.
Likewise, should Anthony Traficanti make good on his musings to seek the Democratic Party nomination next March for Mahoning County commissioner, his decade-long association with Traficant would, in part, define his candidacy.
The same would be true of Brad Gessner, who says he will challenge Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul Gains next year. Gessner's seven-year association with former prosecutor and now prison inmate James A. Philomena would be an issue. And it's not because Gessner was involved in Philomena's "Justice for Sale" enterprise. Indeed, his current job as an assistant prosecutor in Summit County is a clear indication that he wasn't stained by the crime and corruption orchestrated by Philomena and others, including an assistant prosecutor, a county court judge and several lawyers.
Is it guilt by association to even ask Kovachik, Buccella, Traficanti and Gessner about their crooked former employers? No, it isn't. It's legitimate inquiry. Voters have a right to know what these individuals think about the violation of public trust perpetrated by Traficant and Philomena.
The former congressman is serving an eight-year sentence in Allenwood prison in White Deer, Pa. He was found guilty by a jury in federal court in Cleveland of 10 criminal counts, including racketeering, bribery and tax evasion. The former prosecutor pleaded guilty to federal and state charges that stemmed from his selling justice in the Mahoning County Courthouse. He is serving time in the Lorain Correctional Institution in Grafton after having spent almost four years in a federal prison in Alabama.
Traficant and Philomena weren't choir boys who committed venial sins. They were scheming, money-grubbing bottom feeders who thought nothing of using their public positions for personal gain. Even worse, they gave no consideration to the permanent damage they were doing to this region's reputation. To outsiders, corruption is now synonymous with government in the Mahoning Valley.
That is why anyone associated with these morally challenged individuals should expect to be put under the microscope if he or she decides to run for public office.
Here are some questions Kovachik, Buccella and Traficanti should answer:
UDo you share Traficant's view that he was the target of a grand federal conspiracy?
UDo you think he did anything wrong in requiring his staff members to play the role of indentured slaves? Did you bale hay for him or make repairs to his houseboat? If the answer is yes, why did you do it? Do you think that an officeholder has a right to put his or her employees in a position where they are hard pressed to say no to an unreasonable request?
UWere you aware that Traficant was taking bribes from constituents who sought his help? Had you known, would you have gone to the FBI with the information?
UKnowing now what you know of Traficant, would you characterize him as one of the most corrupt politicians in the history of the Mahoning Valley?
Here are some questions Gessner should be prepared to answer if he runs against Gains:
UHow is it possible that you knew nothing about the "Justice for Sale" enterprise led by Philomena when he launched it on the day he was sworn into office? Does your ignorance indicate a blind spot to such corrupt activities or naivet & eacute;?
UDid you not wonder about the presence of George Alexander, a disbarred lawyer, in the prosecutor's office?
UIf you had learned that Philomena was selling justice, would you have gone to the FBI and the press with the information?
And finally, the question to all four former employees of two of most despicable human beings to hold office in the Valley: Would you lead the charge to dissuade Traficant and Philomena from returning to this region once they are released from prison?