YOUNGSTOWN Decision leaves 6th Ward seat vacant

The councilman-elect said the issue is representation, not seniority.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Squabbling over seniority will leave the 6th Ward city council seat vacant until year's end.
Lisa Antonini, Mahoning Democratic Party chairwoman, said she won't call a meeting of the ward's precinct committee members to fill the seat.
Instead, she has asked the former 6th Ward council member -- now council President James E. Fortune Sr. -- to help residents. He is to help out until Clarence Boles, Democratic 6th Ward councilman-elect, takes office in January, she said.
Under state law, party precinct members fill council vacancies. Boles expected the 6th Ward committee would name him to the seat if given the chance.
Last month, Antonini said she expected to call a meeting for early December.
But Antonini said Monday she won't move to fill the vacancy because Boles would have a seniority edge over two new council members. New members in the 4th and 7th wards take office in January.
Seniority concerns
Party members in those wards are concerned about seniority, Antonini said. Council sometimes uses seniority on which to base its decisions, such as committee assignments.
"Right now, we don't need that animosity. There's a real potential for that to happen," Antonini said. "I'm certain he [Boles] doesn't want to start his tenure with division in the ranks."
There are no substantial issues before council that concern the 6th Ward, she said. Fortune can fill the gap the next few weeks, she said.
"I'm not concerned," Antonini said.
Councilwoman-elect Carol Rimedio-Righetti, D-4th, said she agrees with the decision.
Rimedio-Righetti said the seat should be filled if it were to be vacant for several months. But there isn't anything pressing, and residents will have somewhere to turn for routine help until year's end, she said.
Rimedio-Righetti said that seniority is an important issue to her and that an edge to one council member would concern her.
Boles' response
Boles said the issue is representation, not seniority or the two other new council members.
The 10,300 residents of the ward should be officially represented at all times, he said. He criticized Antonini for putting seniority, which he called a benign issue that affects a few council members, ahead of residents.
Boles also criticized Antonini for standing in the way of party precinct committee members. Any party leader's role is to let members decide what to do, not obstruct the decision-making process, he said.
"The party chair is no more than a conduit," he said.
rgsmith@vindy.com