Cortland mayor to challenge commissioner

A former county commissioner also is seeking appointment to the board.
& lt;a href=mailto:siff@vindy.com & gt;By STEPHEN SIFF & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Standing in front of the Trumbull County Health Department's crumbling front steps, Cortland Mayor Melissa Long announced her intent to run against Joseph J. Angelo Jr. for county commissioner.
"This isn't the county's only building in this kind of shape," Long said, referring to health department's black mold and decaying fa & ccedil;ade. "There has been no long-range planning in the county. All they do is react to emergencies."
Long is the second Democrat to announce an intent to challenge Angelo in the March primary.
Niles Councilman Reginald F. Giancola Jr., D-3rd, has filed petitions to run for the seat, which Angelo has held for 12 years.
Mecca Trustee Michael Colello, a Republican, has also filed petitions for the seat, board of elections officials say.
Long's plan
If elected, Long said she would work to reduce the county work force and cut expenses. She said she would be against imposing an additional sales tax, preferring that any tax measure to support county expenses go before voters.
"We would need to convince them that they are services they need to pay for," she said.
Long served as Cortland mayor for the past four years, and was on Cortland City Council for 12 years before that.
She was soundly defeated in a mayoral re-election bid in November, finishing third in a three-way race.
Long said she thought her showing was poor because voters were reluctant to vote for a candidate whom they expected would be running for another office.
Other position
So far, no candidates have filed petitions to run in the March primary for the seat on the board of commissioners held by Michael O'Brien, who will leave at the end of the year to become Warren mayor.
However, six Democrats, including a former county commissioner, John McClosky, are seeking appointment for the year that will remain to O'Brien's term.
McClosky, who was a commissioner from 1970-75, is the most recent person to throw a hat into the ring. Others seeking the appointment include Warren Councilman-at-large Dan Polivka; Johnston Township Trustee Donald J. Barzak; James Herrholtz Sr., an office manager for the Ohio and Vicinity Regional Council of Carpenters; Gwen Logan, briefly a commissioner candidate in 1998 and wife of Judge Andrew Logan of county Common Pleas Court; and David Cook, who lost a close race to Commissioner James Tsagaris in last year's Democratic primary.
Former McDonald Mayor Thomas Hannon has withdrawn his name from consideration, county Democratic Party chairman Christ Michelakis said.
& lt;a href=mailto:siff@vindy.com & gt;siff@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;