Valley incumbents keep Statehouse seats

By Ed Runyan

It’s a clean sweep for Dems as no Republicans won.

YOUNGSTOWN — All of the incumbents were returned to the Ohio House and Senate from Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.

In unofficial returns, State Rep. Ronald V. Gerberry of Austintown, D-59th, defeated Republican Dick McCarthy, a Boardman Republican, by 60 percent in one of the closer races.

The communities in the 59th District include Boardman, Canfield, Poland and most of Austintown.

Gerberry, who has 35 years of government experience, including more than 20 in the state House, said the No. 1 priority of all representatives of the House will be to stabilize the state’s finances by cutting costs over the last six months of the current two-year budget that ends in July of 2009.

Following that, the Legislature will have a “very difficult two years” under its next two-year budget.

“It will be a very challenging session,” he said of 2009 and beyond.

Meanwhile, McCarthy, Gerberry’s 25-year-old opponent, said he was pleased with the a 40 percent vote total, in his first run for political office.

“It certainly lays the foundation for things to come,” he said, declining to elaborate on future political campaigns.

State Rep. Robert F. Hagan of Youngstown, D-60th, had a more lopsided victory over Republican Tim Gordon of Lowellville, beating him by 85 percent.

The 60th District includes Youngstown, Struthers, Campbell, Lowellville, Coitsville and a portion of Austintown.

State Rep. Mark Okey of Carrollton, D-61st, defeated two opponents, gaining 52 percent of the vote, compared with 44 percent for Republican Kirk Susany of Beaver Township and 4 percent for Paul Ray of Alliance, an independent.

The Mahoning County portion of the 61st District includes the county’s southern tier.

In Trumbull County, voters returned Atty. Tom Letson of Warren, D-64th, for a second term and Sandra Stabile Harwood, D-65th, of Niles, for a fourth and final term. Term limits prevent Stabile Harwood from serving a fifth term.

Letson received 68 percent of the vote, compared to Dr. Thomas Montgomery, a Repubican from Cortland, who got 32 percent.

Stabile Harwood defeated Republican Lyle Waddell of Newton Falls by getting 69 percent of the vote. Libertarian candidate Timothy J. McNeil of Mineral Ridge received 8 percent.

Deborah Newcomb, a Democrat from Conneaut, defeated Republican Tom Nizen of Jefferson by 57 percent for the 99th House seat, which serves parts of northern Trumbull County.

In Columbiana County, State Sen. Jason Wilson of Columbiana, D-30th, defeated Republican Tim Ginther by 56 percent.

State Rep. Linda Bolon of East Palestine, D-1st, defeated Republican Caroline Hergenrother, by 64 percent. Hergenrother owns and runs a health-care facility in Salem.

runyan@vindy.com