In Columbiana County, Stone gets the nod for sheriff

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Raymond Stone

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John Soldano

In Columbiana County, Stone gets the nod for sheriff

Two experienced small town police chiefs are vying for Columbiana County sheriff, one of whom will have about two months of experience in the office by election day.

Republican Raymond Stone, 52, was police chief of Perry Township for 15 years and was a police officer for about 15 years before that. Democrat John Soldano, 44, has been Leetonia’s police chief for 19 years, and prior to that was a corrections officer for seven years.

Both have the professional qualifications and years of supervisory experience necessary to run for the job that was vacated by the former sheriff under circumstances that were embarrassing for Sheriff David Smith and the county he served. Smith was arrested for drunken driving by a state trooper while returning from a meeting in Columbus. His subsequent conviction for drunken driving resulted in his disqualification and resignation from office.

Either man seeking the job would bring a fresh set of eyes to the office, and that’s a good thing. Both say they will look for ways of economizing, though neither sees much fat that’s available to cut. And both say they will seek state and federal funding for special projects.

Challenges abound

The sheriff oversees a chief deputy and 20 deputies, a staff that is insufficient to provide anything but bare-bones service, but there is scant prospect of expansion within the department’s $2 million budget.

Stone was appointed sheriff effective Sept. 10 and acknowledges that he was somewhat surprised by the amount of time he spends on duties that are not related to routine law enforcement — the department’s civil duties, prisoner transfers, registering sexual predators, processing concealed carry permits and handing budget issues.

While Stone has only held office for about six weeks, it was obvious during his endorsement interview that he is a quick study and that he has already begun to think realistically about what he can and cannot do.

He impressed Vindicator editors with his openness toward a more centralized dispatching system that would better serve the county while saving money. Still, he was pragmatic about the political challenges consolidation presents. Soldano seemed more resigned to accepting that consolidation isn’t in the cards.

Regarding operation of the county jail by a private contractor, Soldano made reference to the escape of four prisoners and said that any savings being realized could be offset by liability costs down the road. Stone also said that operation of the jail under private contract is not ideal, but that he is convinced that given the county’s budget situation, the sheriff’s department could not man the jail with county employees. That may not be the answer people want to hear, but it’s the more realistic reply.

Columbiana County voters cannot make a bad choice in this election, but we believe Stone is the stronger candidate with the greater potential to get as much as a sheriff possibly can under budget conditions that are less than ideal.