Panel: Hanni banner must be taken down

The sign is ‘way too big,’ the committee chairman says.

By DAVID SKOLNICK

VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — The large banner touting Heidi A. Hanni’s candidacy as Mahoning County prosecutor that hangs across her West Boardman Street law office must come down, a city committee ruled.

Hanni had the 4-by-30-foot banner placed on the building she co-owns with her father, Atty. Don Hanni Jr., about a month ago.

She did so without getting prior permission from the city’s Design Review Committee, which oversees exterior work of downtown buildings.

City officials permitted Hanni to keep up the banner after she filled out an application requesting permission from the committee. Hanni was to appear Wednesday in front of the committee to seek approval to have the banner remain, at least until the March 4 Democratic primary.

Hanni didn’t attend the meeting. The committee voted to have the zoning department order Hanni to take down the sign.

Attempts to reach Hanni on Wednesday to comment weren’t successful.

The committee members said they opposed the sign remaining because it’s just too large.

“The issue is it’s too big,” said William D’Avignon, the committee’s chairman and the city’s community development agency director. “It’s too big. It’s way too big.”

D’Avignon said he would have never given prior permission to Hanni to erect such a large sign.

While the committee members couldn’t give the appropriate size of a temporary sign on a downtown building, they said Hanni’s banner was about two to three times larger than what would be acceptable.

“It has to be proportionate to the building,” D’Avignon said.

Hanni is challenging Prosecutor Paul J. Gains in the March 4 Democratic primary. There are no Republicans seeking the county job.

skolnick@vindy.com