Boccieri, Gerberry may finally lock horns

It's a rematch of sorts between state Rep. John Boccieri of New Middletown and Mahoning County Recorder Ronald V. Gerberry of Austintown in the Democratic primary for the 33rd Ohio Senate District seat.
The two almost faced each other for the seat four years ago.
State Sen. Robert F. Hagan, the incumbent in that district, announced Jan. 23, 2002, that he wouldn't seek re-election and instead run for the 17th Congressional District seat.
The day after Hagan said he would run for Congress, Gerberry, a former 19-year Ohio House member, announced his candidacy for the 33rd Senate seat.
Shortly after that, Boccieri said he also wanted to run for the Senate seat.
But on Feb. 3, 2002, Boccieri got out of the race after labor leaders and state Democratic officials urged him to quit and let Gerberry run without serious opposition.
Also, Boccieri sought his second term in the Ohio House that year instead of running for the Senate saying a Republican, probably from outside Mahoning County, would get his seat if he didn't run. That could quite possibly happen this year.
In exchange for his loyalty, Boccieri was moved into House leadership.
It turns out Boccieri had impeccable timing.
Four days after getting out of the state Senate race, Hagan opted to not run for Congress.
Among Hagan's reasons for quitting the congressional race were strong indications that then-U.S. Rep. Thomas Sawyer of Akron would run, which he did. Hagan believed that as the incumbent and the only candidate in the Democratic primary not from the Mahoning Valley, Sawyer would win.
That turned out to be wrong as Sawyer lost the Democratic primary to Tim Ryan, a relatively inexperienced state senator from Niles at the time. It wasn't Hagan's first or last political miscalculation.
After hearing Hagan's decision, Gerberry withdrew as a state Senate candidate. Hagan went on to win re-election to the Senate.
Because of Boccieri's loyalty four years ago, a number of labor leaders are backing himvb against Gerberry this year.
State Rep. Sylvester D. Patton Jr., a Youngstown Democrat, is also planning to run for the state Senate seat.
Gerberry said his 32 years of elected experience and his name ID among voters give him the edge. Boccieri's military experience that includes four tours of duty in Iraq during the past two years, his popularity among local labor leaders and military veterans, and his youthful charisma make him a very formidable candidate.
Patton's chance of winning the seat is relatively slim.
Hagan can't run this year for the Senate seat because of the state's term limits law. It's widely believed among Democrats that Hagan will run for the 60th Ohio House District position.
There's going to be a crowded Democratic field for that one. Those running or strongly considering bids for the seat include Youngstown Councilman Rufus Hudson, Struthers Councilman Dan Yemma, and Mike Latessa of Youngstown.
As for the 61st District seat, it appears that someone from outside Mahoning County is going to capture that position. The 2002 statewide redistricting plan replaced Mahoning with Stark as the county with the most residents in the 61st District.
Potential Republican and Democratic candidates seeking to replace Boccieri in the 61st are primarily from Alliance in Stark County.
Republicans who are considering running include Brant Luther, a former Alliance city councilman and Stark County auditor, and Randy Pope, a former councilman who's lost twice to Boccieri for state representative.
On the Democratic side, those looking at the seat include three Alliance council members: Steve Okey, Susan Ryan and Warren Price. Also, Jeremy Broadwater and Bo Hysong, township trustees from Tuscarawas County, are being mentioned as Democratic candidates.
No one from Mahoning County is stepping forward to run for this seat.
Mahoning County Democratic Chairman Lisa Antonini acknowledges that it will be hard for any Democrat in the four-county district to win the seat. She was to meet today with the Ohio Democratic Party chairman to discuss candidates.
Mark Munroe, Mahoning Republican vice chairman, said he doesn't care if the next 61st District representative is from his county as long as that person is a Republican and represents the entire district.