Incoming mayors in 3 towns look to lead in new directions

By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
Sebring, Craig Beach, Lowellville and Struthers aren't the biggest communities in the Mahoning Valley, but it doesn't mean they don't treat politics like a full-contact sport.
Voters in Sebring, Craig Beach and Lowellville elected new mayors and Struthers residents chose to replace its council president in some of the most politically-fueled races this year.
In Sebring, former Councilman John W. Smith, a former 18-year village councilman who last served in 1997, easily beat Mayor Carl R. Mort Jr. by nearly a 2-to-1 margin.
At the heart of their race was the direction the village should take with Smith criticizing Mort for spending too much money on downtown revitalization.
"I won because of the financial situation the present mayor and the council put the village in," Smith said. "With my experience, the residents had confidence that I could do the job."
Mort, who couldn't be reached to comment Tuesday, became the village's mayor in July 2002 when then-Mayor Daphne Cannell passed away. At the time, Mort was council's president pro tem.
Craig Beach
Councilman Larry D. Ellis beat Mayor Camille C. Gaia III in Craig Beach by 20 votes, or 53 percent to 47 percent.
Ellis blasted Gaia for how he runs the village. Gaia couldn't be reached Tuesday to comment.
"A new day is going to dawn on Jan. 1," Ellis said. "We're going to restore communication between the mayor and council. There has been a lot of strain, a lot of bad blood during the past four years. For the past four years, I've beaten my head against the wall with Gaia as mayor. I couldn't do it for another four years so I took the chance of giving up my council seat and running for mayor."
Lowellville
In Lowellville, voters elected Councilman James Iudiciani Sr. for mayor over Councilman Keith McCaughtry by 21 votes, or slightly more than 3 percent.
The two were seeking to replace Joseph J. Rossi, who opted not to run for re-election to a position he's held for 18 years. Instead, Rossi ran for a council seat after being outraged that council voted to give itself and the mayor substantial pay raises.
Rossi backed a winner in Iudiciani, but couldn't muster enough support for his council bid. He finished in third place for two seats in a six-person race, falling 28 votes shy of second place.
Struthers
In Struthers, first-term council President Danny Thomas Jr. lost to an old political rival, former Councilman-at-Large Robert D. Carcelli, by six votes, or 0.20 of 1 percent. That will force an automatic recount, but Thomas said he doesn't believe he has a chance of beating Carcelli in a recount.
"The people of Struthers are fed up to the point that they want leadership and accountability," Carcelli said. "It's going to be a whole different agenda."
Carcelli's victory was cause for some major gloating by Michael Orenic, a Carcelli ally who was ousted from the council presidency by Thomas two years ago.
Orenic called Thomas several names, including a profanity and a "punk," while Carcelli tried to get him to calm down.
Thomas said he was disappointed and a little surprised by the results.
"There's not a lot to say," he said. "I did what I could. I did the best for the city."
When told about Orenic's comments, Thomas quipped: "He can say what he wants to say. I beat him, didn't I?"