Mahoning library officials worry ballot text may hurt levy’s chances

By David Skolnick

YOUNGSTOWN — Officials with the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County are concerned that ballot language on a 1-mill tax levy renewal is confusing and could adversely impact the outcome of the vote.

Library officials wanted “Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County” in the issue’s headline or at least in the body of the tax proposal’s text, said Janet Loew, the library’s spokeswoman.

Neither happened.

Instead, “Reuben McMillan Free Library,” the rarely-used official name of the library, is in the body of the text.

The Mahoning County Board of Elections honored a request from library officials to not put Reuben McMillan Free Library in the tax request’s headline.

Carlton Sears, the library’s director, requested in a Sept. 22 e-mail to the elections board that if “Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County” couldn’t be in the headline that “public library” be named.

If that couldn’t happen, he asked that “Mahoning County” be used in the headline. That’s what is on the ballot.

But library officials expected “Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County” be included somewhere in the body of the request, Loew said. It isn’t.

“We could lose votes on the language,” Loew said. “We’re hearing from people who aren’t understanding the ballot language.”

The language used was accepted by the Ohio secretary of state’s office.

This is the second issue with ballot language involving the Mahoning County Board of Elections. County commissioners are angry with the elections board over ballot language for a half-percent county sales tax. The commissioners also had the county sheriff’s department launch an investigation to determine if criminal activity occurred.

Danielle O’Neill, an elections board clerk whose responsibilities include preparing ballot language, was placed by the elections board Thursday on paid administrative leave.

She failed to follow board protocol by not sending the ballot language for the sales tax to commissioners for review, said elections board Director Thomas McCabe.

It’s also been discovered that O’Neill didn’t send ballot language to Boardman park officials for a 0.6-mill replacement levy they have on the Nov. 3 ballot, McCabe said.

Unlike the commissioners, library officials aren’t placing blame on the elections board.

“We don’t know how it happened, but the board of elections is helping us get the message out,” Loew said. McCabe said he’s meeting Monday with Sears to discuss ways to make the library issue more clear to voters.

The library’s 1-mill, 5-year renewal levy would bring in about $3,622,000 annually in property taxes.

The library has made major cuts to staff and hours.