Wednesday, May 25, 2011
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Dan Yemma
STRUTHERS
With the resignation of Dan Yemma as an at-large member of city council, the Mahoning County Democratic Party is looking for candidates to fill his unexpired term.
But the person selected to replace Yemma may not keep that job for long.
Yemma resigned Monday from council to serve as interim county treasurer. State law prohibits him from holding both positions.
County commissioners appointed Yemma, who was chief deputy treasurer, as interim treasurer Monday.
Yemma is among three candidates seeking the Democratic precinct committee members’ vote at a June 6 meeting to become county treasurer.
At that same meeting, to be at the Maronite Center on Meridian Road in Youngstown, the 15 Democratic precinct members from Struthers will choose Yemma’s replacement on council.
Those interested in the appointment to Yemma’s council-at-large seat need to send a letter of interest, preferably by certified mail, to Democratic Chairman David Betras at 6630 Seville Drive, Canfield, OH 44406 by Tuesday. That’s also the deadline for county-treasurer candidates to turn in letters of interest to Betras.
Yemma won the May 3 Democratic primary for another two-year term on Struthers council to begin in January 2012. Yemma doesn’t have any opposition in the general election.
If Yemma is selected as county treasurer, he said he’d withdraw his name as a candidate on the November general election ballot.
“I would think it would best to resolve the issue sooner rather than later,” Yemma said. “I have to determine the legality of” how to withdraw from the council race if elected county treasurer.
If Yemma doesn’t get the treasurer appointment, he said he’d remain a council-at-large candidate.
The person selected June 6 to replace Yemma would serve till the end of this year.
The person chosen county treasurer would complete the rest of ex-Treasurer Lisa Antonini’s term, which expires in September 2013.
Antonini resigned May 16 after being charged by the federal government with taking and failing to report a $3,000 cash contribution for her campaign in 2008.