Commissioner was wrong

Commissioner was wrong
EDITOR:
I was embarrassed for Mahoning County Commissioner Anthony Traficanti when news reports showed his act of verbosity in front of the television cameras. I have also read the news reports with quotes from Commissioner David Ludt.
Youngstown and Mahoning County are emerging from 100 years of chest-pounding, arm-waving, in-your-face politicians. These were poor examples to follow, and as a lifelong resident of the county I do hope this is the end of it.
The commissioners are elected to serve us, the residents of Mahoning County. They have not been elected to turn the blue collar worker against the white collar professional. Or to start their own real estate company. The attack on Anthony Cafaro was completely out of line. Check the tax records and find out how much his company and employees contribute to the county and the city. We the taxpayers do not expect the commissioners to force out another business or businessman ever again. I'm sure you realize The Cafaro Co. can take their 275 employees, tax money and jobs to a neighboring county in a heartbeat.
The Mahoning County commissioners are not landlords. We do not want them in the real estate business, the car business or retail clothing business. We want them to provide the services the county was set up to provide and watch over our tax dollars. Keep the criminals in jail. Take care of the needy. Court the billionaire business people. Bring in new business. There is the beginnings of a renaissance in Youngstown, you need to join it.
Perhaps the commissioners' efforts and energy would go farther if they sat down with Mayor Jay Williams and Mr. Cafaro to bring a plan together to further improve and help rebuild the East Side. I think the residents of the entire county would prefer to see the commissioners focus in these areas of human concern.
RONALD A. DiTULLIO
North Lima
Cafaro influence no asset
EDITOR:
As a Mahoning County resident and taxpayer, I believe the reason why so little truly gets accomplished in the city of Youngstown and Mahoning County for the taxpayers is because so many city and county elected political officials owe their political debts to Anthony Cafaro. And so they look out for and protect Mr. Cafaro's interests at the expense of Mahoning County taxpayers and fiscal responsibility and efficiency in Mahoning County government. Oakhill Renaissance Place (the former Southside Hospital) is the ideal location for county and city government.
I believe wealthy businessmen and bullies like Anthony Cafaro, and the city and county politicians that he owns have for so long given the city and county a black eye across the country.
If the Cafaros have such a strong historic interest in the McGuffey Plaza on Youngstown East Side, why don't they use their great wealth to truly make the McGuffey Plaza a first class, first rate plaza like their Eastwood Mall in Niles and others across the country?
Finally, while Mr. Cafaro has a lot of wealth, he does not alone own Mahoning County. The taxpayers do.
WILLIE JAMES RICHARDS
Youngstown
What about the poor?
EDITOR:
I'm totally against building a hospital in Mahoning County that is strictly "for profit." A hospital that doesn't have any concern for helping the poor isn't worth building. At least St. Elizabeth Hospital takes in the poor and no one is left out in the cold. The last thing our world needs is more divisions between people. There are many fine doctors whose concern is for everyone -- build them a hospital.
SYLVIA KOCZWARA
Boardman