TRUMBULL COUNTY Dems select Biviano as interim auditor

Barbara Katzenberger joins fellow Democrat Sherron Platt on the board of elections.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Experience won over name recognition when Trumbull County Democrats selected an interim county auditor to fill the unexpired term of David A. Hines.
Adrian Biviano, deputy auditor under Hines for the past 10 years and a government finance official for 29 years, won the election 157 to 31 over former Warren mayor and state representative Dan Sferra. The party's central committee met Tuesday night at DiVieste Banwuet Hall.
The Trumbull County Board of Elections, meanwhile, will be represented by two women after the county's deputy treasurer Barbara Katzenberger was selected to replace board chairman Nick Melfi. The other woman on the board is Sherron Platt, also a Democrat. They will join newly selected Republican Ron Knight, who will replace Nettie Ashelman, and Republican Craig Bonar.
In his speech before the voting, Biviano stressed his financial experience. "You must have the education, the background and the experience to do the job" of auditor, he said. He added he had the endorsements of Hines and former county Auditor Ed Bush, who "know what it takes."
"I've worked hard 29 years for the party," he added.
Biviano, who has never before run for political office, said he looks forward to the primary election this spring and the general election in the fall, when he plans to run for his own four-year term. He will serve as interim auditor until March 2007.
Political experience
Sferra, by contrast, said he had run for election 24 times in his life, winning 21 of the races. Sferra was 64th District state representative from 1995 to 2004, when he lost to Republican Randy Law of Warren.
Sferra said the reason for that loss was that the Republicans had spent $250,000 to defeat him, with $200,000 of that the last five days of the election -- all because he would not vote for a tax increase. "I told them to go to hell," Sferra said of those seeking the tax increase. He said the gasoline taxes and higher natural gas prices paid today are the result of that.
Sferra said he got a tax increase in Warren the second year he was in office in 1981, and for the next 15 years did not seek another one. The city never had a deficit, and the city is still using the accounting system he instituted in 1980. He said he negotiated contracts for 16 years as mayor, supervised 500 employees and was responsible for the development of many downtown buildings.
Katzenberger thanked Melfi for his years of service on the elections board. "He's just a nice person," she said. "I'll work hard for you and keep the integrity of the board."
Question of conflict
Jim Misocky, assistant Trumbull County prosecutor, said his office has researched the question of whether Katzenberger can retain her position with the county treasurer's office and the board of elections job. An opinion from 2004 available on the state attorney general's Web site makes it clear that Katzenberger's situation is not a conflict, he said.
Biviano will take a pay cut to become interim auditor. His current salary is $85,841. He will earn $82,364 as interim auditor minus $7,413 -- a 9 percent deduction elected officials must pay for their retirement, Biviano said. As chief deputy auditor, he did not pay a portion of his retirement.
runyan@vindy.com