McDONALD Councilwoman to challenge mayor

The two have publicly clashed on several issues.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
McDONALD -- A freshman councilwoman is the only challenger to the mayor in Tuesday's race.
After Councilman Michael J. O'Brien dropped out of the race earlier this month, the field of candidates was narrowed to Mayor James W. Border and Councilwoman Rose Yakubov.
Border, mayor since 1998, said he's seeking re-election to continue the work he's done to date, especially in the areas of infrastructure.
"In my time there, we've received a lot of grants," he said. "We've got grants to do lots of work at the park and to put in sidewalks along Ohio Avenue.
"We even secured a no-interest loan to rebuild a majority of the catch basins."
Finances
Border also pointed out he's concerned with the village's financial status. When he first took office, the village had an investment account that had little activity.
The last thing that was done in that account before was to take $47 from it in 1997 to make up a shortage in the road fund, the mayor said.
When he saw that several accounts in the village showed a surplus, he worked to have that money moved into the investment account so the village could earn interest.
"So far, we've moved more than $1.5 million into that investment account," he said.
Border acknowledged he's taken some verbal beatings, primarily from council members, in the past year or so, but it never changed his mind about running for office again.
"The more they give me a hard time, the more it makes me think 'Wow,'" he said. "I think I am doing the right thing."
Challenger
Yakubov, who started serving on council in January 2002, has been one of Border's most vocal opponents. She decided to run for mayor because she thinks the village needs strong, positive leadership.
Her opponent, she said, "wastes a lot of time worrying about things that happened a long time ago, and I think there are issues taking place now that we need to address."
Yakubov and Border have clashed publicly over Border's decision last year to give the FBI village documents dealing with paving contracts with companies owned by James Sabatine, who testified during former Congressman James Traficant's federal racketeering trial that his company routinely did shoddy work and used substandard materials.
"We can't change the past," Yakubov said, adding she thinks the village would be better served by focusing on the future and the growth of business.
A stay-at-home mother, Yakubov said she has the time to devote to the village, including working with representatives from the industrial park.