Fuda likely winner among Democrats

The Niles councilman said voters told him that working cooperatively is important.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- In the end, Niles Councilman Frank Fuda felt that the extra time he spent campaigning for Trumbull County commissioner paid off. Others add to that the importance of the county Democratic Party endorsement.
Whatever the reason, he was winning the nomination with a much larger margin than most people imagined. With about 89 percent of the votes counted, Fuda appeared to be the winner Tuesday night with 10,992 votes, or 41 percent.
In second was newcomer Mauro Cantalamessa with 6,698 votes, or 25 percent. Robert Marchese was third at 4,778, or 18 percent; James Melfi fourth at 3,533, or 13 percent; and Ted Harrell last with 720 votes, or 3 percent.
Fuda began campaigning for the Democratic nomination 18 months ago, long before Cantalamessa, Melfi and Marchese had declared their candidacy. He was campaigning even before Commissioner James Tsagaris announced he would not seek re-election.
"We worked hard. We had a grass-roots campaign," Fuda said, adding that he had a lot of nonpoliticians involved in his campaign.
What he stressed
He said he believes people responded to his message of working cooperatively with other officials. "People are tired of reading all of the negative articles. I think I can work pretty well with Dan Polivka and Paul Heltzel," he said.
Before he gets that chance, he has to face Republican Niki Frenchko in November.
Trumbull County Democratic Party Chairman Christ Michelakis said he felt Fuda's apparent victory confirms the value of endorsement from the party. "It has to be worth 3,000 votes in my opinion," he said. The party endorsed him by a landslide, and he also had the endorsement of organized labor.
Cantalamessa spent the most money of the five candidates, according to campaign finance reports filed late last month. As of April 12, he had spent $73,921 in contributions of cash or in-kind services. He received a large amount of that from family members.
Fuda was second in spending, at $45,548. Marchese had spent about $23,000 as of the filing deadline and later spent about $30,000 more, he said. Melfi reported spending only $7,543 as of April 12 but had planned to spend more than $10,000 in the final weeks of the campaign.
"You've got to tip your hat," Cantalamessa said. "All of these guys ran a positive race." He said his own campaign -- including many family members -- worked tirelessly on his behalf, and he hopes to run for commissioner again in two years.
Other campaigns
Cantalamessa had built his campaign around his desire to bring new blood and fresh ideas into the commissioners office, saying he was disenchanted with politics as usual.
Melfi stressed his experience -- mayor of Girard for six years, treasurer for 11 before that. He was endorsed by both local newspapers.
When reached Tuesday night, Melfi said the party's endorsement meant a lot. He added that the endorsed candidate has won the Democratic primary in the majority of elections in recent years. "Obviously, my message didn't get out. Maybe it wasn't enough."
Marchese referred to county government's having credibility problems after the purchasing scandal was uncovered in 2002 involving county Maintenance Director Tony Delmont, who took bribes from cleaning supply vendors. The Warren council president promised to use his good name and work hard for voters.
Joe H. Williams, former Warren council president, withdrew from the race, but his name still appeared on the ballot.