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Deadline looms; some haven’t filed yet
YOUNGSTOWN
Wednesday is the filing deadline for candidates running in the May 3 primary, and apparently, several seeking office are in no rush to file.
As of Friday, several announced candidates — including Warren mayoral candidates, Safety-service Director Doug Franklin and Jim Graham, head of the United Auto Workers Local 1112 union at General Motors in Lordstown — haven’t filed.
Though all seven members of Youngstown City Council plan to run for re-election, only three of them have filed nominating petitions so far.
They are Mike Ray in the 4th Ward, Paul Drennen in the 5th Ward and John R. Swierz in the 7th Ward.
Appointed Dec. 21 to fill an unexpired term, Ray already has three challengers in the May 3 Democratic primary. At least one other person is expected to file for that seat.
In the 5th Ward, Drennen and Kevin E.J. Salata have filed to run in the Democratic primary. Anthony Catale, a school-board member, also has said he’s running for that seat.
Officials with the Mahoning County Board of Elections say there are several other people circulating nominating petitions to run in the 5th Ward.
Youngstown Clerk of Courts Sarah Brown-Clark and Municipal Court Judge Robert P. Milich have filed their candidate petitions with the board of elections. Neither is likely to face opposition in the Democratic primary.
Besides Youngstown, Struthers and the village of Poland will have primaries.
No Republicans had filed to run for elected offices in those three communities as of Friday.
Communities that don’t have May primaries have to pay about $700 per precinct to have elections, said Thomas McCabe, director of the county board of elections.
It will cost Boardman, which has 51 precincts, about $35,700 to have its tax levy for police services on the ballot.
Poland Township will have to pay about $11,200 for a renewal levy. The township has 16 precincts.
The village of Beloit is placing two additional tax levies and an electric aggregation on the ballot. There are three precincts in the village. It will cost the village about $2,100 for that election.