Saturday, January 19, 2008
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN — A large banner touting the candidacy of Heidi A. Hanni as Mahoning County prosecutor on the front of her downtown law office is probably on its way down.
The banner was placed across the front of the West Boardman Street law office building co-owned by the candidate and her father, Atty. Don Hanni Jr., without the permission of the city’s Design Review Committee.
“They need permission to put up the sign,” said William D’Avignon, the committee’s chairman and the city’s community development agency director.
Hanni said she didn’t know she needed the city’s approval to “put a sign on my building. If I have to apply for a permit, I will. I hope they don’t ask me to take it down.”
But if the city asks that it come down, Hanni said she’d comply.
Approval from the Design Review Committee is needed for an exterior work of a building in the downtown area.
The Hannis also had the building painted red last year without approval from the committee, D’Avignon said.
“We went to them after the fact, and they received permission,” D’Avignon said.
D’Avignon said he’d wait for an opinion from the city’s law department to make sure the sign had to come down.
The committee next meets Feb. 13, and the Hannis could seek permission then to have the sign remain on their building. The committee wouldn’t have a special meeting before Feb. 13 just for the sign, D’Avignon said.
Hanni is challenging Prosecutor Paul J. Gains in the March 4 Democratic primary. There are no Republicans seeking the county job.