'Golden Rule' works for Cafaro

There's a truism in politics that is not publicly acknowledged because of the obvious implications: He who has the gold rules. Seeing as how women are just as willing as men to use their gold to win office, the truism is gender neutral. Case in point: Tuesday's stunning victory by Capri Cafaro of Liberty Township in the Democratic primary for the 14th District Congressional seat.
When the receipts are added up and Cafaro files her post-primary campaign report, it would not come as a surprise if her spending hit the $400,000 target she told the Warren Tribune-Chronicle she had set to win the party nomination. (Cafaro did not return a Vindicator questionnaire sent to all candidates before the election.)
It is worth noting that the 26-year-old daughter of Mahoning Valley millionaire real estate developer J.J. Cafaro, who pleaded guilty last May to providing an "unlawful gratuity" (a bribe by any other name?) to former Congressman James A. Traficant Jr., does not live in the 14th District. It encompasses seven northern townships in Trumbull County, all of Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties, and portions of Cuyahoga, Summit and Portage counties.
The 14th is represented by Republican Steven C. LaTourette, who was unopposed in the primary. LaTourette's last finance report shows he has $500,550 in the bank. Given that the state and national Republican parties consider this a safe seat -- LaTourette got 72 percent of the vote two years ago -- Capri Cafaro's deep pockets will certainly not go unmatched.
Traficant connection
In addition, the GOP can be expected to pound away at her involvement with Traficant while he was congressman and she was serving as president of USAerospace, a Virginia-based technology company owned by her father. Capri Cafaro, who was not charged, testified in the trial of Richard Detore, an engineer and pilot who was accused of taking part in a conspiracy to bribe Traficant. Republican operatives will undoubtedly scour the trial transcripts and focus on Capri Cafaro's contention that the main goal of her being president of USAerospace was to be her father's "eyes and ears."
Traficant, who was convicted of 10 criminal counts, including bribery, racketeering and tax evasion, is serving an eight-year sentence in the federal penitentiary.
While residents of the Mahoning Valley are intimately familiar with many of the details of his using his public position for personal gain, the folks in the other counties in the 14th District may have only a general understanding of what occurred. By the November election, they'll know a lot more.
Cafaro told the Tribune-Chronicle that she is prepared to spend $2.5 million in the general election. Given her victory Tuesday, political consultants and other hangers-on can be expected to make a beeline to her door. Money does not have political allegiances.
LaTourette, who is completing his 10th year in Congress, has a r & eacute;sum & eacute; that's chock full of accomplishments and is viewed as one of the GOP leaders on Capitol Hill. By contrast, Cafaro has never held public office, and while she has dabbled in politics -- her father, J.J., has hobnobbed with officeholders from both parties and was a major contributor to the state and national Republican parties -- she does not have much to fall back on, other than her money. She lists her employment as public relations consultant.
But in the end, her anemic r & eacute;sum & eacute; may not matter, seeing as how she was able to buy the Democratic Party nomination last Tuesday.
The last laugh?
And now an observation from the Cynics Corner:
Mahoning County commissioners Edward Reese and Vicki Allen Sherlock, who did not seek re-election, had to have been laughing (on the inside, at least) when the primary results showed that Anthony Traficanti (a former Traficant employee) had won the Democratic nomination for a county commission seat, while the 0.5 percent sales tax renewal had failed.
Traficanti, whose supporters include those who have long criticized Reese and Sherlock for wasteful spending and have long argued that county government does not need a 1 percent sales tax to operate, may well take office in January -- if he defeats Republican Sam Moffie in November -- with a budget that is imploding. The half-percent tax generates $12 million a year.
Traficanti's ally on the board of commissioners, David Ludt, immediately talked about a special election in August or putting the tax renewal issue on the November ballot. But even so, there is no guarantee that the taxpayers of Mahoning County will be inclined to vote yes.