Warren councilman reports threats

Photo

Al Novak

Staff report

WARREN

Al Novak, a Warren councilman, has reported to Warren police that he received two anonymous, threatening telephone calls and one anonymous written threat last week for supporting Doug Franklin for mayor.

Franklin, the city’s safety-service director, won the Democratic primary Tuesday over challenger Jim Graham, president of the United Auto Workers Union Local 1112 at GM Lordstown.

Franklin is likely to be Warren’s next mayor, and its first black mayor, because he has no Republican opponent in November.

Novak, who attended a news conference before the election in support of Franklin and campaigned for him, said he talked on the phone to one man who expressed his anger with Novak for supporting a black candidate.

The man said Novak would be “targeted” in the next election.

A voice mail on the same day came from a man who also expressed his anger over Novak’s support for a black candidate.

Novak found a note in his mailbox Wednesday with a crude expression on it regarding Novak’s support for Franklin. The note also suggested that Novak would be targeted for his actions, Novak said.

“I just wanted the police to know that if something did happen to me, they would know about this,” Novak said.