1 year into sentence, Traficant has gone quiet -- and so have local politics

& lt;a href=mailto:skolnick@vindy.com & gt;By DAVID SKOLNICK & lt;/a & gt;and PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITERS
YOUNGSTOWN -- Today, expelled U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. marks the one-year anniversary of his confinement in a federal prison for bribery, conspiracy and tax evasion.
As every good spouse probably knows, the first anniversary is paper -- and we're not talking about an envelope stuffed with $13,000 in cash.
Those wishing to honor the anniversary by sending a card or note can write Traficant at No. 31213-060, LSCI Allenwood, PO Box 1500, White Deer, Pa., 17887. He's ensconced in the 55-acre, low-security section of Allenwood's massive complex, where double rows of barbed wire fence run the perimeter and armed guards patrol.
Don't bother sending a cake (with or without file) because inmates are prohibited from receiving packages of perishable foods. Any other package must have prior authorization from the prison or it will be returned.
Scratch off your gift list the idea of replacing his silver hairpiece. Even Michael Milken, Wall Street junk bond king, had to give up his coal-black hairpiece while in prison.
Traficant, who, in his former life, seldom missed an opportunity to see his name in print or face on TV, has refused all press requests for interviews during the past year. He's also declined to see some old friends, including U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, considered his closest friend in Congress.
Even so, he continues to be a newsmaker.
Presidential committee
He made national news last week with the disclosure that a New Jersey man has organized a committee to draft Traficant to run for the Democratic nomination for the presidency next year. Even though it's a "draft" committee, which are created to select a person to run for political office without his expressed consent, the documentation filed with the Federal Election Commission to create the committee has Traficant's signature on it.
When news of the presidential bid hit, "Everyone called, wanting to talk to him," said William Campbell, public information officer at the prison. "He said he had no comment about it."
Even out of sight and almost out of mind, the toppled tower of local politics still has an impact of sorts on the local political scene.
"Politics has certainly gotten quieter around here," said Paul Sracic, a Youngstown State University political science professor. "There's a different feel to politics. You don't have that presence."
The fact is the Valley didn't have anyone representing it in the House last year after Traficant heeded the advice of the House ethics committee and stopped going to Washington after January 2002.
Because of redistricting, the Mahoning Valley -- which Traficant represented in the U.S. House for 171/2 years -- was split into three congressional districts beginning this year. U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland has Columbiana County and a portion of Mahoning; U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, a former Traficant aide, has most of Trumbull and a portion of Mahoning; and LaTourette of Madison, R-14th, has seven northern townships in Trumbull.
Rarely mentioned
Strickland and Ryan acknowledge Traficant's "larger-than-life" personality, but say they rarely hear his name mentioned nowadays.
"I never hear his name around here, and in D.C., there's an occasional wisecrack," Ryan said.
"I hear very little about Mr. Traficant as I travel through the district, which is in stark contrast to one year ago," Strickland said. "For the most part, the area has decided to move on and decided that that era is in the past. I don't perceive that Mr. Traficant is a significant factor in the thinking of most people I encounter."
"The local political climate has definitely gotten better," said Ryan, of Niles, D-17th. "The trial and everything that was going on was like an 800-pound gorilla, and now it's time to start moving on and rebuilding."
As for what he's doing in federal prison, Strickland, of Lisbon, D-6th, says he wouldn't be surprised if Traficant were delivering his famous one-minute speeches to fellow inmates.
"I suspect he's developed a position of leadership in the inmate population," Strickland said. "The one thing you can say about Jim Traficant is he has an indomitable spirit. In spite of all the criticism, he's a person who seems to be energetic and keeps going."
Traficant, who marked his 62nd birthday on May 8 in prison, is due out July 17, 2009. The House expelled him July 24, 2002, and U.S. District Judge Lesley Brooks Wells handed down an eight-year sentence a week later.
His pattern of corruptness included using his congressional office to aid businessmen, mostly contractors, and extorting cash, goods or services in return. He also took kickbacks from staffers and cheated on his taxes.