Candidates will vie to fill post of Trumbull County engineer

Chief deputy to the engineer, Randy Smith, will try to replace his boss in 2008.

By ED RUNYAN

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

WARREN — Democrat Randy L. Smith of Hartford, chief deputy to Trumbull County Engineer John Latell, has announced that he will try to replace his boss in the November 2008 election.

Cafaro Co. vice president David DeChristofaro also plans to run for the job.

Latell’s term ends Dec. 31, 2008. Latell, a Democrat from Girard, was appointed engineer at the end of 1994 and was subsequently elected engineer to three four-year terms, his most recent being in 2004.

Latell revealed plans to retire in recent weeks because his wife, Marilyn, encouraged him to spend more time at home and with his eight grandchildren.

“I still have the desire, but I came to realize that I’m not getting any younger, and my wife is not in favor of me running again,” he said.

Supporting Smith

Latell said he supports Smith to replace him.

“He would make a good county engineer,” Latell said. “I would say he knows the county quite well and knows the issues. We’ve worked quite well together.”

Latell said he chose not to run again months in advance of the filing deadline so that others considering the position would not be “kept in limbo.”

Smith, 40, began his career with the engineer’s office as a summer intern while attending college in the 1980s and has worked there almost continuously since then.

“We have a proven track record at the engineers,” Smith said.

He has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Youngstown State University and a bachelor of science degree in surveying and mapping from the University of Akron. He is licensed as a professional engineer in Ohio and Pennsylvania and also is a licensed professional surveyor in Ohio.

Smith was appointed to serve as a Hartford Township trustee in May 1994 and was re-elected three times.

The competition

Smith will get competition from DeChristofaro, of Niles, another Democrat, who has been vice president of engineering and development at the Cafaro Co. since 2002.

By last February, DeChristofaro had raised $26,733 in campaign contributions.

DeChristofaro, who also has been part-time Niles engineer since 1995, has worked for the Cafaro Co. since 1986. He filed nominating petitions to run for county engineer in 2004 but withdrew from the race when he found out Latell had decided to run again, he said.

DeChristofaro also was full-time Niles engineer from 1978 to 1986.

“John and I had a lot of the same supporters and friends,” DeChristofaro, 50, said of his reason for not challenging Latell in 2004.

DeChristofaro said county engineers have the option of working full time or part time. His choice would be to be a full-time engineer, he said, and to give up his two other jobs.

runyan@vindy.com