First-time look at Vindy endorsement process

Today, The Vindicator launches a new tool for area residents to use to pick their election choices. For the first time in the Valley’s history, we give our readers and viewers an inside look at the process America’s newspapers use to decide who to support for public office.

Starting today, video coverage of our full endorsement interviews with two candidates in the Girard mayor’s race is available on Vindy.com.

Every Vindicator endorsement in local elections is based in part on these interviews of the candidates by Vindicator editors and reporters, the Valley's most skilled and experienced editorial board. The reporters bring their insights to the questioning, but do not vote on the endorsements.

Our first interviews to be taped, of candidates in the Girard mayoral race, are available in conjunction with today's endorsement editorial announcing our choice in the race for the May 8 Democratic primary.

You can read the editorial in today's Vindicator and on Vindy.com, and watch the interviews of Mayor James Melfi and Councilman Dan Moadus by clicking here.

A third candidate, Councilman Louis Adovasio, did not respond to our request for an interview.

The interviews took place April 10. Questions were posed by Dennis Mangan, editorial page editor; Bertram de Souza, editorial writer; David Skolnick, politics writer; and John Goodwin, Girard reporter.