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Reports: Yavorcik’s bid got $120K from Cafaros
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Atty. Martin Yavorcik
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Paul Gains
The two Mahoning sheriff contenders spent about $240,000 on the race that never happened.
YOUNGSTOWN — The Cafaro family’s unsuccessful effort to defeat Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul J. Gains cost them $120,000.
Anthony Cafaro Sr., president of the family-owned retail development company, gave $40,000 to the campaign of Marty Yavorcik, an independent candidate for prosecutor in the Nov. 4 election.
Cafaro’s brother, John J., the company’s executive vice president, and their sister, Flora, the Cafaro Co.’s assistant treasurer, also contributed $40,000 each to Yavorcik’s campaign.
Post-general election campaign finance reports for local races had to be filed with the county board of elections by Friday. Those reports were for money raised and spent between Oct. 16 and Dec. 5.
The two spent about $340,000 on the race when you include their expenditures during the preprimary time between July 1 and Oct. 15.
Gains, a Democrat from Boardman, defeated Yavorcik in last month’s election, capturing 69 percent of the vote.
The three $40,000 contributions were easily the largest given to any candidate running for office this year in the Mahoning Valley.
The Cafaros and Yavorcik couldn’t be reached late Friday to comment.
The Cafaro Co. unsuccessfully sued Mahoning County to rescind the county’s purchase of Oakhill Renaissance Place.
The company is the former landlord for the county’s Department of Job and Family Services, which moved from Cafaro’s Garland Plaza on the city’s East Side in 2007 to Oakhill, the former Forum Health Southside Medical Center.
Gains requested and received the go-ahead from seven common pleas judges in October to appoint special prosecutors to investigate possible ethics violations by elected officials who objected to the county’s leaving the Cafaro-owned building.
“Obviously I’ve offended them somehow,” Gains said about the Cafaro contributions to Yavorcik.
When asked if it had anything to do with Oakhill, Gains deferred comment to the Cafaros.
Gains spent close to $120,000 on his race, the most he’s ever spent to run for prosecutor. That includes $25,000 he lent his campaign.
Gains said he had to spend the money to defend himself from the “constant attacks” from Yavorcik.
In the race for Mahoning County sheriff, which never materialized, Randall Wellington, the incumbent Democrat, spent about $145,000.
David P. Aey of Boardman, removed twice by the Ohio Supreme Court as a sheriff candidate, spent close to $100,000.
Wellington lent $66,838 to his campaign in the final days leading to Election Day.
skolnick@vindy.com