MAHONING COUNTY Young Democrats plans first meeting

The Mahoning County Democratic chairwoman says the group will give young people a way to get involved in politics.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Perhaps the next U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan or state Rep. John Boccieri will emerge from a new political organization being formed in Mahoning County, according to its coordinator.
Angela Chasebi of Austintown has spent the past few months coordinating plans to create the Mahoning County Young Democrats, a group for people from high school to age 36 to get involved in the local political process.
The group will hold an organizational meeting at 8 p.m. Thursday in the back room of Anthony's on the River in downtown Youngstown.
Mahoning County Democratic Chairwoman Lisa Antonini, who at 33 would qualify for membership in the Young Democrats, hails the idea as a way to get young people involved in politics and eventually run for office.
"The emergence of a Young Democrats group is a healthy thing for the Democratic Party," she said. "We need to help and expand our party. Next year will be very busy, and we'll need the help of younger folks. You pave the way for the future. I'm excited about it."
Importance of involvement
Chasebi, the former head of the Youngstown State University Young Democrats, said it is important to get young people involved in politics and their community.
"We hope that we can encourage young people to make a difference in what they believe in, and eventually help them grow to become political leaders like Tim Ryan and John Boccieri," two officeholders in the organization's targeted age group, Chasebi said.
"Hopefully, they will emerge and be a player in county Democratic politics," Antonini said of the organization.
Chasebi envisions the YSU group, which has been relatively dormant in recent months, folding into the new organization.
skolnick@vindy.com