WARREN Three compete for mayor's job
Mayor Hank Angelo didn't seek a third term.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Two former city councilmen -- one who has been out of public life for three years and one who has served 10 years in county office -- and a local attorney are vying for the city's mayoral post.
Democrat Michael J. O'Brien, a Trumbull commissioner since 1993 and a former city councilman, faces Republican Randy Law and Joe Williams, a former city council president who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1999.
Law, a lawyer who challenged Democrat state Rep. Dan Sferra last year, did not return a candidate questionnaire to The Vindicator.
Mayor Hank Angelo, first elected in 1996, didn't seek a third term.
Top priorities
Williams lists elimination of corruption in the city as his priority if elected. He pointed to recent federal investigations that have resulted in contractors' admitting paying former city officials to get contracts.
For O'Brien, street resurfacing and reopening city parks are a priority.
The city police department has come under fire in recent months after Police Chief John Mandopoulos was videotaped outside a nightclub, mugging for the camera. The city also has been named in several lawsuits by people who contend they were subjected to illegal strip searches or police brutality.
The episodes have prompted some in the community to ask for changes in the department, including a change in leadership.
Williams, who served 10 years as council president and 12 as a councilman, said he would first have to review the situation and consult with the law department before deciding how to address it.
"No citizen is above the law," said Williams, an electrician at General Motors.
If the department did something wrong, someone should be punished, he said.
O'Brien also said he would have to assess the police department situation after taking office.
"I've been able to work with this particular police chief with county issues and with city issues when I was a councilman," he said.
O'Brien said he would demand professionalism in all departments and that race relations would be a top priority in his administration.
Purchasing scandal
Williams also contends that O'Brien bears some responsibility for the county's purchasing scandal. The county's maintenance director has been charged with taking bribes and overordering from companies that overcharged for cleaning supplies.
An owner of one of the janitorial companies has pleaded guilty to bribery stemming from the purchasing probe.
Williams questions O'Brien's ability to manage the city if O'Brien didn't know about the problems that were occurring at the county level.
"From the moment the overcharging was brought to light and from the moment the investigation started, I have stood shoulder to shoulder with the county prosecutor and continue to," O'Brien said.
He pointed out that after the maintenance department official's name surfaced in court documents from the investigation, O'Brien demanded the director's "immediate removal and termination."
Commissioners Joe Angelo and James Tsagaris voted to retain the official, Tony Delmont, for now.