Protest filed over petitions of Wellington for primary

The sheriff says the protest is without merit.

By DAVID SKOLNICK

VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — A supporter of a candidate challenging Mahoning County Sheriff Randall A. Wellington filed a protest, contending the incumbent’s nominating petitions violate state law.

The law requires candidates to “sign a statement made under penalty of election falsification” that those who circulate petitions witness every person sign the forms, that the signers “were to the best of the circulator’s knowledge and belief” qualified to sign, and those who sign the petitions are signing their actual names.

The protest by Barbara L. Ribarich, an insurance agent from Boardman and supporter of David P. Aey for sheriff, pointed to the law — but didn’t specify the violation. Ribarich couldn’t be reached Tuesday to comment.

Wellington, of Boardman, insists neither he nor others who circulated his petitions violated the law.

“There’s no justification for” the protest, he said.

Aey said Ribarich is a supporter, but he knew nothing about the protest.

If there was a problem with Wellington’s petitions, Aey said he would have filed the protest himself.

Aey, of Boardman, said he reviewed Wellington’s petitions and didn’t find a problem with them.

The two are to meet in the March 4 Democratic primary.

The county board of elections will schedule a hearing to hear Ribarich’s protest.

The board will hold a Friday hearing regarding Wellington’s protest over the eligibility of Aey, a former deputy sheriff.

Sheriff candidates must have at least two years of post-secondary education from an accredited college or university, or at least two years of supervisory experience.

Aey received an associates degree last year from Belford University, a school described as an “online diploma mill” in a New York Times article.

Aey said he spent about $400 to $500 to receive a degree based on his “life skills” after taking a test online.

Aey served more than three years as a field supervisor for the U.S. Marshals Service’s Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force. The candidate says it was a supervisory position on the county and federal levels and meets the supervisory experience requirement.

skolnick@vindy.com