If you're like me -- and God help you if you are -- you really miss the Cable Ace Awards. The

If you're like me -- and God help you if you are -- you really miss the Cable Ace Awards. The glitter, the glamour, the excitement of seeing if Lifetime would capture more Aces than TNT or Bravo. Who can forget the "South Park" win for best animated programming special or series in 1997, the final year for the Ace Awards? Oh, the memories.
To fill that void we all feel, I bring you my third annual Best and Worst Mahoning Valley Political Awards.
Best/Worst Jim Traficant Moment: He may be gone, but he's certainly not forgotten. A small group from New Jersey persuaded the son of a truck driver/federal inmate/expelled congressman to sign a paper to run for the 2004 Democratic nominee for president. The campaign came to a crashing halt when the group realized it couldn't raise enough money or interest for this "effort."
Most Unlikely Local Political Comeback: Robert Carcelli was left for dead, politically, after he lost his re-election for Struthers councilman-at-large in 2001 in a bitter campaign. Carcelli took the unconventional path of running as a nonparty candidate for council president against Democrat Danny Thomas Jr. That campaign turned rather ugly and saw Carcelli pull out a 12-vote victory. Now he has to work with a mayor who has no plans to involve him in the city's administration.
Most Unlikely Ohio Political Comeback, Sort Of: Jerry Springer, the king of trash TV, kept us in a minor amount of suspense this summer as he mulled a run for the U.S. Senate. But after spending about $1 million to realize his candidacy at this time wasn't viable -- I could have told him that for nothing -- he decided he shouldn't run for the seat. But that's not stopping Springer from thinking about a gubernatorial run in 2006. Most likely, he'll spend another million, learn again that he can't win, and stick to entertaining us with colorful tales of trailer-park love and incest.
Biggest Political Surprise: Mahoning County Commissioner Ed Reese decided that he wasn't going to run for re-election next year in a move described as shocking by many political observers. Reese said he is looking at running for the state Senate or the U.S. House in 2006. He also plans to focus his attention on running the local campaign of struggling presidential candidate John Kerry.
Come and Listen to a Story 'bout a Man Named Jed Award: U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette of Madison, R-14th, successfully got the U.S. House to approve legislation including Mahoning and Trumbull counties into the Appalachian Regional Commission. At first, some local politicians were concerned about the stigma attached with being part of Appalachia. But with the possibility of a few federal bucks coming our way for some projects, they changed their minds. The bill still needs approval in the Senate.
Feud of the Year: Mahoning County commissioners vs. Juvenile Court Judge Theresa Dellick. Commissioners cut the judge's 2003 budget. She wanted an increase. So what did she do? She took them to court, and no, it wasn't the People's Court. It was the Ohio Supreme Court -- and she won. Because it was so late in the year, she took about 40 percent of the court's awarded increase. But the battle rages on. The judge's 2004 budget is slightly less than what she wanted last year. This could go back to court. Perhaps they should settle this professional wrestling style with a Texas bull-rope match. The under card could feature a grudge match between the Austintown trustees and Trustee-elect Lisa Oles.
This is Your Last Notice Award: Mahoning County paid more than $10,000 in late fees in little over a year to utility companies. Some departments still carry past-due amounts on their bills going back several years.
Where Is It Award: Ohio Auditor Betty Montgomery said an audit that would pinpoint the problems with Mahoning County's utility payment problems was supposed to be finished in July. Five months later, and a whole lot of excuses from the state auditor's office, and no report.
The Least Surprising Award: The Youngstown convocation center won't be built. It joins a scrap heap that includes the air cargo hub, the SONET ring, the Avanti car factory, and the Pentagon payroll center.