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Ray, Drennen capture council races
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Mike Ray
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Councilman Paul Drennen, D-5th
YOUNGSTOWN
Two incumbent Youngs-town council members, including one appointed in December, emerged victorious in the Democratic primary.
Councilman Mike Ray, appointed six months ago to fill an unexpired term representing the 4th Ward, easily turned back two challengers.
Ray received 61 percent of the vote compared to 34.9 percent for Milan E. Zordich and 4.1 percent for George Doward. Howie Edwards, a fourth candidate, withdrew from the race before Tuesday’s primary.
“I knew it would be a good victory,” Ray said. “I worked hard, and it paid off.”
In the 5th Ward, incumbent Councilman Paul Drennen received 34.2 percent of the vote, the most among the six candidates in the Democratic primary.
“I’m always trying to do the best I can for the residents, and they saw that and supported me,” he said. “The residents know I work hard, and I believe it showed by the results.”
Among those who lost to Drennen were former state Rep. Sylvester D. Patton Jr., who finished second; ex-Councilman Michael R. Rapovy, a distant third; and school board member Anthony J. Catale in fourth place.
“The weather hurt me with the turnout,” Patton said. “It really killed my chances. I thought I had a good chance to win. That turnout really killed me. Not to say I would have had a big win with a big turnout, but it would have given me a better shot to win if the weather was better. That blows it out of the water.”
Drennen captured 34.2 percent with Patton getting 23.1 percent, according to final-but-unofficial results.
Turnout was down in the 5th Ward Democratic primary compared to 2007. In this primary, there were 1,443 votes cast in the 5th Ward compared to 1,633 in the two-man race Drennen won four years ago.
Only Drennen and Councilwoman Annie Gillam, D-1st, who ran unopposed in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, will face opposition in the November general election.
Republican Plato Kalfas and Lou Leonelli, an independent, have filed to run in the 5th Ward.
“I’m going to get out there and campaign again,” Drennen said. “I’m not going to sit around. I’m going to work hard to win in November. I’m looking forward to moving ahead in the next four years on city council.”
Adrian McDowell, an independent, is running in the 1st Ward.
That means Ray and four council members, who faced no challengers in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, will run opposed in the November general election.
Those four other council members are DeMaine Kitchen, D-2nd; Jamael Tito Brown, D-3rd; Janet Tarpley, D-6th; and John R. Swierz, D-7th.