Warren voters give O'Brien green light to push agenda

During his primary and general election campaigns for mayor of Warren, veteran politician Michael O'Brien stressed the need for cooperation not only among the various branches of government, but between city hall and the private sector. The message obviously struck a chord with the voters. O'Brien, currently a Trumbull County commissioner, repeated his May Democratic primary performance Tuesday night by securing a win in the general.
In the three-man contest -- the other candidates were Republican Randy Law and independent Joe H. Williams -- O'Brien garnered more than 45 percent of the vote.
There never was any doubt about the outcome of the election, given the Democrat's strong name identification in the region and his impressive record of public service in Trumbull County. But that didn't keep O'Brien from mounting an aggressive, issues-oriented campaign, which provided some insight into how he will approach his duties as the city of Warren's chief executive.
In filling out a questionnaire for The Vindicator prior to his interview with the newspaper's editors and writers, he answered the question, "What is your priority if elected?" this way: "Priority is to resurface our city streets. I would earmark at least $2 million worth of funds on an annual basis for five years to repair these horrible streets throughout this town. In addition, an annual street resurfacing maintenance program through the entire city."
Such lowest-common-denominator politics is what has made O'Brien so successful as a politician. He has completed 11 years as county commissioner, and for 11 years before that was a member of Warren City Council, first representing the 4th Ward and then as councilman-at-large.
Police department
But O'Brien's political instincts were also evident in this campaign as he dealt with the controversy swirling around the city's police chief, John Mandopoulos. Aware that The Vindicator has little confidence in the chief's ability to restore the trust of a large number of Warren residents in the police department, O'Brien sought to reassure the editors and writers that things will be different once he becomes mayor.
"You will find a different John Mandopoulos as police chief in my office," O'Brien said. Although we weren't satisfied with that answer, we endorsed O'Brien based on his training and his experience, as both a legislator and an administrator.
We now urge him to bring that experience to bear as he reviews the allegations of misbehavior against the chief and some officers.
The mayor-elect acknowledges that improved race relations, especially involving the police department, must be a priority for the city of Warren. But in working on this important issue, he will find that many black residents do not trust the police and ultimately blame Mandopoulos for the tension that now exists.
O'Brien's tenure as mayor will certainly not be a breeze, but we're confident that once in office he'll do what's right for the community.