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Youngstown Mayor-elect McNally raised close to $100K to win
YOUNGSTOWN
After winning a close Democratic primary for Youngstown mayor, John McNally IV said he wouldn’t raise as much money for the general election as he did to capture his party’s nomination.
He was correct, but McNally still raised a lot of money, $94,745, for the general election race, including $51,021 between Oct. 17 and Dec. 6, according to his campaign finance report filed by Friday’s deadline with the Mahoning County Board of Elections.
In comparison, McNally raised $131,854 in the primary.
Overall, McNally raised $226,599 for his successful mayoral bid, and had $19,915 in his campaign fund as of Dec. 6.
The job pays $94,745 annually.
DeMaine Kitchen, the ex-chief of staff/secretary to the mayor who finished second in the general election, failed to file a campaign finance report with the board by Friday’s 4 p.m. deadline.
Kitchen filed his pre-general-election report about 90 minutes after the 4 p.m. Oct. 24 deadline. With no indication that Kitchen would show up Friday, board employees didn’t wait much after the deadline to close the office.
An attempt Friday by The Vindicator to contact Kitchen about filing a report was unsuccessful. He has not responded to efforts by the newspaper to contact him during the past two weeks.
Kitchen struggled to raise money in the pre-general-election period of July 1 to Oct. 16.
During that time, McNally raised $55,305 compared with $11,810 for Kitchen, who ran as an independent.
In the Youngstown council president’s race, outgoing Mayor Charles Sammarone, a Democrat who easily was elected council president, received $14,700 in campaign contributions between Oct. 17 and Dec. 6. Neither of his opponents raised $1,000 during that time period.
There were a number of city department heads who purchased $125 tickets to a Sammarone campaign fundraiser in October. They include: Sean McKinney, buildings and grounds commissioner; Charles Shasho, deputy director of public works; Harry Johnson, water commissioner; Police Chief Rod Foley; Law Director Anthony Farris; and Kitchen, then his chief of staff/secretary.
Eric Ryan, who has a contract with the city to manage the Covelli Centre, and William M. Carter, who runs the minority and female business enterprise programs for the city, each contributed $125 to Sammarone for his campaign event.
Meanwhile, the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 396 of Boardman, the organization that funded the successful effort to defeat the anti-fracking charter amendment in Youngstown in last month’s election, spent $7,308 between Oct. 17 and Dec. 6.
The Community Bill of Rights Committee, the lead group supporting the failed ban, spent $2,107 during the post-general election time period.
A similar charter amendment was defeated in May with the union spending $60,767 and the committee spending $7,502.
Also, the owners of a racino being constructed in Austintown spent $14,943 on a Sunday liquor option ballot issue. The option was approved 192-60.