Girard will stay the course; Struthers' future uncertain

In endorsing Girard Mayor James Melfi's re-election bid in Tuesday's Democratic primary, we argued that he had earned residents' appreciation for a job well done. We're pleased the voters shared our opinion.
Melfi, who took office in 2000, swept aside his two challengers, Dan Moadus and Louis Adovasio. He garnered almost 60 percent of the vote.
There is no mistaking the message underlying the result: Girard residents want the mayor at the helm as the city emerges from state-mandated fiscal emergency and are pleased with the course he has charted toward economic stability and even growth.
The mayoral election in Girard did provide a lesson for other officeholders: If you are willing to make tough decisions and put the interest of the taxpayers first, you will be rewarded election time.
Unfortunately, there was a different lesson that emerged from the mayoral race in Struthers. The defeat of Daniel Mamula after 15 years in office and an impressive record of accomplishments suggests that voters can easily be swayed by seemingly superficial arguments.
The winner of the Democratic primary, Councilman Terry Stocker, campaigned on the issue of the mayor not spending enough time in his office in city hall. The idea that government business can only be conducted if the chief executive is behind his desk most of the day is ridiculous.
However, the voters obviously were swayed by that pitch.
Short on details
Stocker also charged that Mamula had lost touch with Struthers and he promised new ideas and new leadership. However, his campaign was short on details.
And yet, the councilman received 51 percent of the vote.
Mamula's defeat doesn't make sense if a standard of performance and accomplishment is applied -- as it was in Girard.
Thus, the question: Why did he lose?
The answer may lie in what a candidate for an at-large council seat told The Vindicator: Mamula has been rude to residents during meetings of city council.
To us, such criticism seemed inconsequential, at best. But the mayor's public demeanor obviously was an issue with a goodly number of voters.
That's unfortunate because the effectiveness of an officeholder should not be judged by how politely he deals with the electorate.
These are challenging times for government at all levels, and what cities like Struthers need are proven managers who are willing to take risks and make decision in order to ensure economic stability and growth.
In Girard, government is on course for at least a fiscally stable future.
In Struthers, uncertainty will be the order of the day come Jan. 1