4 candidates removed from Trumbull ballot

Staff report

WARREN

The Trumbull County Board of Elections has eliminated four people’s names from appearing on the May 3 primary election ballot because the candidates didn’t have enough valid signatures on their petitions.

Among them were Vincent Heflin of Wick Street Southeast, who had sought the nomination in the Democratic primary for Warren mayor against Jim Graham and Doug Franklin.

Kelly Pallante, director of the elections board, said Heflin’s petition didn’t have enough valid signatures once the board eliminated some of them for not being valid.

Some of the reasons petition signatures are not valid are because the signer printed his or her name instead of writing in cursive, the signer is not registered to vote or the signer is not registered at the address he or she gave, Pallante said.

Andre A. Clark of Palmyra Road Southwest, who wanted to run in the Democratic primary against Cheryl Safford for 6th Ward Warren council member, also was removed from the ballot for lack of signatures. Safford is now unopposed in the primary, and no Republican has filed for the post.

In Girard, Richard J. Watts of East Wilson Avenue didn’t have enough valid signatures to run in the Democratic primary for council-at-large, so his name is being removed.

That leaves three people — Louis J. Adovasio, Vincent E. Schuyler and Joseph P. Shelby — to run for three at-large positions.

In Lordstown, no one will appear on the ballot to fill the position of member of the Board of Public Affairs because Tracie L. Allen’s name was removed for lack of valid signatures.

All other candidates and issues were certified to appear on the ballot.

A local liquor option for Cortland and one for Niles will be pushed back to November, however, because there will be no primary election in either city because there are no contested races.