Fuda for commissioner

In the May Democratic primary, we endorsed Girard Mayor James Melfi for the nomination for county commissioner on the strength of his knowledge of government
And of the four other candidates in the primary, we acknowledged the work of Robert Marchese as a member of Warren City Council, and tipped our hat to Frank Fuda, a member of Niles City Council for the past 16 years, for his dedication and hard work on the campaign trail. His began running for the office more than 18 months ago, after retiring as a teacher in Cleveland and before Commissioner James Tsagaris announced that he would not seek re-election.
The Democratic voters in Trumbull County nominated Fuda, who is now facing Republican Niki Frenchko in the Nov. 7 general election.
Members of The Vindicator's editorial board interviewed Fuda and Frenchko separately and based on their responses to questions about the operation of county government and their understanding of the many challenges confronting the commissioners, we have concluded that Fuda is in a better position to get things done.
Party dominance
Frenchko is right when she says that the dominance of the Democratic Party is not good for Trumbull County, but that fact, in and of itself, does not justify dismissing off hand a Democratic candidate.
Indeed, Fuda let it be known that the concerns about his not being able to work with Commissioner Paul Heltzel -- they belong to different factions within the county Democratic Party -- are unwarranted. The Niles councilman noted that he and Heltzel grew up together and have remained friends.
He also said that he has worked well with Commissioner Daniel Polivka.
But Fuda made it clear that he won't be a pushover and pointed to some of his votes in council when he broke ranks with his colleagues.
Given the challenges confronting county government and the demands by residents for services, we believe that Fuda would be a positive addition to the board of county commissioners.