3 of 7 Youngstown wards to see competitive council races in Nov.

Fighting crime is a top priority for the candidates.

By DAVID SKOLNICK

VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — There were supposed to be competitive races for five of city council’s seven positions.

But based on the disqualification of eight would-be independent candidates, races remain in only the 1st, 3rd and 7th Wards.

The 1st Ward race pits Democrat Annie Gillam, the wife of the current councilman, against Adam Rutushin, the only Youngstown council candidate running as a Republican.

The ward includes the city’s downtown and portions of the lower East and South Sides.

Gillam, retired from her family-owned general construction contractor company, proposes the city form volunteer groups that would try to resolve disputes in the neighborhoods before matters escalate to violence. Lowering the crime rate is a joint effort, she said, of city officials, the police department and community organizations.

Gillam, 62, said she wants to require neighborhood convenience stores to be clean and operate within the law, something that is an issue in the city, particularly the 1st Ward. The candidate also wants the city to focus on beautifying its main gateways.

Rutushin, 60, a retired pharmacist who owns apartment houses in the city as well as Mineral Ridge and Poland, wants the city to double its current $1.525 million property demolition budget.

“Every vacant house presents a criminal opportunity, arson, stripping or stealing copper,” he said. “Homes that get that way bring down a neighborhood. Demolishing more vacant houses is a direct attack on crime.”

The race in the 3rd Ward is between Democrat Jamael Tito Brown, director of operations for the Mahoning County Treasurer’s Office, and Vincent Thomas, a truck driver who’s running as an independent.

The city needs to assist and create block watches by educating its members how to effectively run such organizations, Brown said. Also, the city needs to provide the most current technology for police officers to help them fight crime, he said.

There are several houses in the 3rd Ward, which takes in most of the city’s North Side, that are for sale but not occupied, said Brown, 36. The city needs to make sure the owners of those homes maintain the properties, he said. If the city has to take care of the properties, such as mowing high grass, it should make sure it receives money from the homeowners once the property is sold, he said.

Thomas, 39, said he wants the city to spend more money for street and sidewalk improvements.

He said the city’s aggressive zero-tolerance crime program is a good start, but more needs to be done to deter kids from breaking the law. Thomas suggests the city look into banning convicted drug dealers from living in Youngstown.

Thomas owns a small truck delivery company and is a tech sergeant in the Air Force, having recently returned from spending about 2 1/2 years in Iraq.

In the 7th Ward, Democrat John R. Swierz, a former councilman and council president, faces Robert Korchnak, an independent. The ward includes the southeast side.

Swierz, safety manager for the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center, said his ward is seeing an increase in drug crimes and property break-ins leaving some residents fearing for their safety. Swierz, 62, wants to work with block watches, citizens coalitions, businesses and others to help reduce crime. On a citywide basis, Swierz wants to develop programs to reduce juvenile criminal activity.

Swierz, who spent 6 1/2 years as the 7th Ward councilman and 1 1/2 years as council president, said he also wants to concentrate on economic development efforts to attract and retain businesses.

Korchnak, a self-employed landscaper and handyman, also sees crime as a serious concern.

Korchnak, 43, wants the city to hire more police officers with the money coming from a 50-percent reduction in its demolition budget and encourage early retirement buyouts in other departments, something the city is currently doing. He also wants to develop a partnership with Boardman to build a joint police-fire station near the city-township line to coordinate efforts to patrol and respond to crimes in the area.

The eight would-be independent candidates were disqualified based on an Ohio Secretary of State advisory opinion that those who run as independents can’t vote in a party primary election or serve on a party’s central or executive committees after declaring their independence.

Those running unopposed Nov. 6 are DeMaine Kitchen in the 2nd Ward, Carol Rimedio-Righetti in the 4th Ward, Paul Drennen in the 5th Ward, and Janet Tarpley in the 6th Ward. All are Democrats and except for Rimedio-Righetti, none are incumbents.

skolnick@vindy.com