Melfi has earned re-election as the city of Girard's mayor

If James J. Melfi were the chief executive officer of a major corporation and had guided the company from financial collapse to recovery, he would be hailed as a miracle worker and given a bonus.
But as the mayor of Girard leading the city's economic restoration -- for the past six years Girard has been in state-mandated fiscal emergency -- Melfi isn't being rewarded. Instead, he must fend off two challengers in his re-election bid this year. Running unopposed would have been a bonus.
As a rule, we think democracy benefits when an incumbent officeholder is forced to defend his record in office. A competitive election is the ideal setting for such a defense. But in Melfi's case, the leadership he has shown in guiding the city through the storms is, in itself, a defense of his seven years and three months in office. Before becoming mayor, he was the part-time treasurer of Girard.
Nonetheless, he must face two members of city council in the May Democratic primary, Dan Moadus and Louis Adovasio.
Adovasio did not accept an invitation to appear before The Vindicator's editorial board for an endorsement interview, and thus was not considered.
Moadus, on the other hand, was surprisingly weak in his defense of his platform, given the seven years he has served in city council and his experience as a small businessman. His campaign lacks depth.
But then again, given the mayor's record, it would have been a monumental task for anyone to launch a credible challenge.
When he took office in 2000, Melfi quickly recognized that the city's financial condition demanded tough choices and uncompromising leadership. Since then, he has shown a willingness to take politically risky positions in the interest of Girard's recovery. The decision by the state auditor's office to declare fiscal emergency, which triggered the appointment of a fiscal oversight commission, forced the mayor and city council to operate within strict guidelines and to develop a recovery plan. In addition, the commission is requiring the city to submit an annual financial forecast that would show how city government intends to avoid another collapse.
Wage freeze
Melfi is best qualified and suited to take on this important assignment. He has established a rapport with all the employee unions and with the rest of the staff, as evidenced by the wage freeze they agreed to in the last contracts.
Challenger Moadus' attempt to blame him for the city's fiscal crisis, saying that as treasurer he should have done something, is without foundation. As part-time treasurer, Melfi's responsibility was to collect taxes and invest the public dollars in secure instruments, while earning as much interest as possible for the treasury.
How the city spent the money was the responsibility of the mayor and city council at the time.
Another questionable charge lodged by Moadus has to do with the Girard Lakes dam. Last week, he alleged that residents' lives were at risk because the Melfi administration has not prepared a disaster relief plan in case the dam collapsed and people living around the now empty lake were flooded.
But the mayor countered that such a plan was developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers several years ago and that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources required the city to make repairs to the dam to not only reinforce it, but to facilitate the release of water so as to lessen pressure.
We find Moadus' scare tactics irresponsible.
Then there is his contention that a hard-line must be taken with regard to labor contracts. Moadus wants the unions to agree to a two-tier compensation system in which new employees would receive reduced wages and benefits.
Melfi points out that not only have employees taken wage freezes, but incoming workers earn 75 percent of the pay rate for current employees and have a health insurance co-payment.
Given the tenuous fiscal condition of the city of Girard, even after the state lifts the emergency designation, we believe a continuation of the leadership at the top is essential.
The Vindicator urges voters to reward Melfi with a bonus -- another four-year term in office.
To view interviews with the candidates, & lt;a href="http://www.vindy.com/more/girard2007/index.php" target="_blank" & gt;click here & lt;/a & gt;