Friday, March 26, 2010
By DAVID SKOLNICK
skolnick@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
For the third time since 2007, the Hanni family is in trouble with a city committee over exterior work to its downtown building.
This time the Hanni in question is Don L. Hanni III, who is running in the May 4 Democratic primary for the 60th Ohio House District seat against incumbent Robert F. Hagan.
Painted on the northwest corner of the building at 219 W. Boardman St. is: Elect Hanni Headquarters. The sign is about 8 feet by 5 feet.
Any exterior work done to downtown buildings — including a paint job or putting up awnings, signs or a marquee — must first be approved by the city’s Design Review Committee.
“You can’t paint anything on the outside of a downtown building without design review approval,” said William D’Avignon, the committee’s chairman and the city’s community development agency director.
When told the painted sign violated city code, Hanni said, “You’re kidding me. Have you ever heard of something more ridiculous?”
The committee next meets April 6. Hanni could seek approval for the work at that meeting, D’Avignon said.
This is the third time exterior work was done on the building without prior approval from the committee.
The first time was when Hanni’s father, Don L. Hanni Jr., had the building painted red in 2007. It wasn’t until after the work was done that he sought — and received — permission for the work from the Design Review Committee.
A 4-foot-by-30-foot banner touting Heidi A. Hanni’s candidacy for Mahoning County prosecutor was hung across the front of the office before the March 2008 Democratic primary.
Hanni, who lost the primary, failed to show up for a Feb. 13, 2008, meeting of the Design Review Committee to keep up the banner. At that meeting, the committee ordered that the sign come down. But the sign remained until after the primary.
The Hanni family closed the law office in September 2009. Don L. Hanni Jr. died in July 2008. He used the building as his law office for about 37 years.
It was also Mahoning County Democratic Party headquarters when the elder Hanni served as the political party’s chairman from 1978 to 1994.