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Party chiefs spinning away
On the side
What’s a picture worth?: I wrote last month about an almost iconic picture of then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt campaigning in a car during the 1940 campaign.
John Jovich of York, Pa., a presidential historian born and raised in Youngstown, disputes the claim of some Mahoning County Democrats that someone was airbrushed out of that picture. He points out that local Democrats were wrong about there being a Republican mayor of Youngstown at the time.
What made the story more interesting is that a different picture of FDR on that day is in Vindicator files, and someone sitting between the president and then-U.S Rep. Michael J. Kirwan was airbrushed from that photo. A note on the back reads: “Take out man next to FDR.”
In a follow-up call, Jovich said that man was almost definitely then-Youngstown Mayor William B. Spagnola. He’s correct.
Robert McFerren, our graphic arts director, removed the airbrushing to reveal Spagnola.
Dennis Mangan, the editorial page editor, solved the mystery as to why the newspaper’s print had been airbrushed. Kirwan used the picture in an advertising supplement during the 1964 primary election. It appeared on a page of photos of Kirwan and other famous men, and Spagnola was apparently viewed as a distraction.
The chairmen of the Mahoning County Democratic and Republican parties say not only are they are proud of their accomplishments, but they look forward to success in future races, particularly those in the 2012 election.
How can they both claim they’ve made significant progress for their parties?
After all, there hasn’t been one Republican elected countywide in several years, and the last state legislator to be elected in Mahoning County was in 1998. There are Republicans in county judicial seats, but those positions are nonpartisan in the general election.
Republicans have complete control over state government after a big win last year, but that huge victory had little to do with Mahoning County. Among the Republicans running last year for governor, auditor, attorney general, treasurer, secretary of state and U.S. senator, none of them received 40 percent of the vote in the county. That wasn’t the case in some other Democratic strongholds in 2010.
As for Democrats, they control county government as well as hold every partisan seat in Youngstown and Struthers, the only two municipalities in Mahoning County with party primaries.
But Chairman David Betras had vowed to deliver 80 percent of the vote for then-Gov. Ted Strickland last November. Strickland received 65.8 percent of the vote in Mahoning County — far short of what Betras vowed. It was among the highest percentage for Strickland in the state, but not even close to the 75.6 percent he received in Mahoning County in the 2006 general election.
To celebrate his two-year anniversary as chairman, Betras sent an email to more than 100 people touting his accomplishments.
The email states the party raised more than $400,000 during that time, implemented primary endorsements with every candidate endorsed by the party winning primaries, “forged a new, dynamic partnership with organized labor” that is “more important than ever” as they work to repeal a new state law that severely restricts collective-bargaining rights for public employees, made the party more unified and increased its activism.
GOP Chairman Mark Munroe says there are numerous Republicans in the county holding nonpartisan elected offices such as township trustees, township clerks and school board members.
Also, half of the county is represented by Republican Bill Johnson in the U.S. House. Johnson, who moved last month from Poland to Marietta, is the first GOP congressman to represent any part of Mahoning County in close to 30 years. Johnson didn’t win in Mahoning County, but his defeat was by less than 500 votes. Strong wins in other counties, particularly Columbiana and Washington, got Johnson elected.
The Republicans are holding an open house from 10 a.m. to noon May 21 at party headquarters, 621 Boardman-Canfield Road in Boardman, for Republicans interested in running for nonpartisan seats in the November election and for partisan seats next year.
Johnson along with Republicans serving as trustees, school board members and judges will be there to offer advice and encouragement to potential candidates.
For the chairmen, success is a matter of perspective.