Council incumbents in Warren receive nod for Democratic ticket

All incumbent council members won the Democratic nominations.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The three Democratic nominees for at-large council plan to continue their messages of neighborhood improvement, job creation and fiscal responsibility going into the general election.
Councilmen Daniel E. Polivka, Gary Fonce and Robert A. Marchese face a challenge from Charles Burger, a Republican, in the November election for at-large council.
The three incumbents withstood challenges Tuesday from Felipe M. Romain Jr., a retired city firefighter; Irvin R. Williams Jr., a pastor and retired sales representative for the city; and Tommy Lee Perry, a coordinator at the Rebecca Williams Community Center, for the Democratic nominations.
Incumbents did well
It was a good night for incumbents throughout the city. All of the incumbent council members bested their challengers for the Democratic nominations for their seats.
No Republicans filed for the ward seats, while independents filed to run in November for the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th wards.
"I plan to keep working the budget and doing the most important things first," said Marchese, a counselor at Community Solutions Association who's in his fifth term on council.
The conditions of the streets and the lack of jobs in the city are two of the things he said he wants to focus on.
"I want to work with the new mayor and get some jobs in this city," Marchese said. "There's not enough people working in this city."
Fonce, who is in his first term on council, also wants to focus on the number of employees in city departments and possibly cutting some management positions.
"I want to get a road program in place, one that will work," said Fonce, an investigator with Pinkerton Consulting and Investigations and a former city police detective.
Fonce also wants to work with the new administration on a strategic plan for the city.
Polivka, who's held an at-large seat since 1988 and also served two terms as 5th Ward councilman, intends to continue to work to beautify neighborhoods, pointing to road and sidewalk improvements.
Street resurfacing
Polivka also plans to introduce legislation that would prohibit street resurfacing past mid-September, saying roads resurfaced late in the season don't last as long.
"It's not giving taxpayers the most bang for their buck," he said.
Councilman Brendan J. Keating, D-5th, didn't seek re-election, prompting five candidates to file for the Democratic nomination. Vincent S. Flask, an employee at Delphi Packard Electric, won. He'll face James J. Mann Sr., an independent, in November.
"My focus hasn't changed," Flask said. "My priority has to be bringing jobs into the city. I'd like to see my own children stay in the city and I'm sure other people want to see their children stay here as well." He plans to talk to businesses in the city to determine why many are leaving and try to address those issues.