Perception versus reality

By David Skolnick

Shaking its bad reputation proves to be challenging for the region.

YOUNGSTOWN — “Crime Town U.S.A.”

That’s what the Saturday Evening Post called the Mahoning Valley in a 1963 cover story. The article said Youngstown “exemplifies the truism that rackets cannot survive without two basic conditions — the sanction of police and politicians and an apathetic public.”

In the article, the Post wrote: “The time now has come for action on the part of the whole citizenry. Until each honest man is aroused, the cesspool will remain. And Youngstown will remain a shame to the nation.”

A lot happened to the Valley in the 45 years that followed the article. But the area has failed to shed its reputation for political corruption, even though only a handful of public officials and employees have been convicted of crimes in the past five years.

A number of those who live in the Valley seem to accept political corruption as a given.

“The attitudes of the past help breed” corruption, said Tony Paglia, the Regional Chamber’s vice president of governmental affairs since 2007, who previously spent 30 years as an editor and reporter with The Vindicator. “... People are more cynical here than the typical person.”

The area’s steel mills, which drove the local economy, closed in the late 1970s leading to thousands losing their jobs and an increase in crime, particularly in Youngstown.

It took a major investigation, primarily done by federal law enforcement officials, in the mid-1990s to finally dismantle what was left of the mob in Youngstown.

The investigation, which ended in 2002, also led to the conviction of about 40 or so elected officials, attorneys, members of law enforcement and those in organized crime.

Among the big fish were:

UFormer Mahoning County Sheriff Phil Chance, convicted in 1999 for racketeering crimes including accepting mob bribes.

UFormer county Prosecutor James A. Philomena, convicted in 1999 of being part of a racketeering enterprise and accepting bribes while in office.

UFormer U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr., found guilty in 2002 of bribery, racketeering and tax evasion.

UFormer Youngstown Municipal Court Judge Patrick Kerrigan who pleaded guilty in 1998 to charges of taking bribes and kickbacks.

During the federal investigation, state Rep. Ronald Gerberry of Austintown, D-59th, said his colleagues in the Legislature would “take their shots in a joking manner” at the Valley.

“It was a joke to them but not to us,” he said.

A lot of that kidding has returned in recent weeks, Gerberry said, thanks to the scandal at the office of Attorney General Marc Dann, a Democrat from Liberty Township.

Top Democrats in the state are calling for Dann to resign or face impeachment. Dann said he won’t resign and has done nothing to merit impeachment. Dann hasn’t been charged with any criminal wrongdoing.

An internal office investigation into sexual harassment complaints filed by two women against their boss, Anthony Gutierrez of Liberty, director of general services and a close personal friend of Dann, criticized the attorney general’s office for failing to properly oversee management employees, cronyism and a litany of judgment errors.

“There are people from here who think we’re the only ones where this happens,” Gerberry said. “But it happens all over the country. Not many communities went through what we did, but we have [the Dann scandal] and people are saying we’re corrupt again.”

The Valley’s history of corruption and mob influence is one the area can’t shake, said Stephen Brooks, the associate director of the University of Akron’s Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.

“The image stays much longer than the reality,” he said. “...When things like this happen the events become much bigger news in Youngstown because that’s what people expect from Youngstown. It perpetuates that perception.”

Because residents of the Valley have done little themselves to stop political corruption, it is easy for it to re-emerge, Brooks said.

“If you’ve gotten worn down by this, it leads to apathy,” he said.

Paul Sracic, chairman of Youngstown State University’s political science department who’s lived in the Valley since 1992, said there are those in the area with a defeatist attitude that prevent the area from shedding its reputation. That also discourages some good people from running for public office.

David E. Freel, executive director of the Ohio Ethics Commission who grew up in Niles, said his strong ethical roots came from his formative years in the Valley.

“The Mahoning Valley has a reputation statewide that comes from organized crime and other misconduct,” he said. “Allowing the peddling of influence caused the original problems. The mob and organized crime played a role in many of the issues.”

As the head of an agency that investigates wrongdoing at government entities, Freel said the Valley is not alone when it comes to corruption in the state.

The Regional Chamber is working to help change the Valley’s image, pushing government and school reform as well as working to encourage regionalism throughout Northeast Ohio, Paglia said.

“We’re going through a cleansing process,” he said. “We’re getting better candidates in office. We’re not all there yet.”

And the scandal at Dann’s office “causes people to pause and say, ‘They’ve still got problems,’” Paglia said.

Not everyone sees the Valley as having political corruption problems.

Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray, a Columbus Democrat, said he doesn’t view the Valley as being politically corrupt.

“I see it as a hard-working part of the state that needs help from the state and federal governments,” he said.

One of the Valley’s most notorious politicians is Traficant, an outspoken ex-congressman and Mahoning County sheriff. He’s been in a federal prison since 2002 with an expected release date of Sept. 2, 2009.

Even though he was convicted of bribery and racketeering, he still has loyal supporters. A group of them held a party Thursday in his honor.

Chuck Rich of Campbell, who attended the event, said the outside perception of the Valley is distorted.

“To say we deserve the reputation depends on how you perceive it,” he said. “Have we had mob influences in this area? Yes, but how the rest of the country perceives it and reality are two different things. Time is the only way to heal it. Time heals all things.”

Mike Marciano of Youngstown, another Traficant supporter, said, “I don’t think we deserve any reputation. So many cities have had way more mob connections, and for some reason we are stuck with it. Those days truly are gone.”

Howard Windt of Youngstown said the area’s “reputation is pretty much permanent. I really don’t see how we can get over it. Everybody promotes it, and it’s been going on for a long time.”

A number of people walking in downtown Youngstown on Friday refused to give their names when asked about the area’s reputation. Among the few who did, Melony Eaton-Hold of Youngstown said, “Everyone in the area has been victimized by unemployment. We’ve all been thrown in a fight for jobs, so politicians are putting money in their pockets. But they’ll get what’s coming to them.”

“I don’t think power can make you bad,” said Michelle Harden of Youngstown. “Character is you, whether you come from Youngstown or anywhere else.”

SFlbX John Goodwin and Shelby Schroeder, staff writers, contributed to this report

skolnick@vindy.com