Tuesday, May 7, 2013
YOUNGSTOWN
Democratic primaries for Youngstown mayor and Warren council president as well as an anti-fracking charter amendment in Youngstown and school tax issues — including Boardman, Poland and Springfield — are on today’s ballot.
Polling locations are open today from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. with Mahoning Valley elections officials expecting light turnout.
Today’s primary winners, several who are running unopposed, will advance to the November general election ballot. And most of the primary winners are running unopposed in the general election.
But there are independent candidates who filed by Monday’s deadline to face partisan primary winners in November.
County boards of elections must certify the validity of nominating petitions before the candidates can appear on the ballot.
These candidates shouldn’t be confused with those running for nonpartisan seats, such as township trustee and school board member. Those nonpartisan candidates have until Aug. 7 to file.
The field for independent candidates running for Youngstown mayor is crowded.
Those filing to be independent candidates for mayor are DeMaine Kitchen, the mayor’s chief of staff/secretary; retired Police Chief Jimmy Hughes; Frank Bellamy; John Crea; and Cecil Monroe.
They will face the winner of today’s Democratic primary between council President Jamael Tito Brown; John A. McNally IV, a former Mahoning County commissioner and city law director; and Matthew Smith.
Also, Chris Travers is running for Youngstown council president as an independent.
In the November election, he will face Mayor Charles Sammarone, who’s running unopposed for council president in the Democratic primary, and the winner of the Green Party primary between Susie Beiersdorfer and Terrance Esarco.
Although the village of Poland could have a partisan primary, no council candidates filed this year as Democrats or Republicans.
Instead, five candidates, including four incumbents, filed for the four seats as independents.
In Trumbull County, two candidates, disqualified from running in the Democratic primary because they failed to submit valid nominating petitions, filed to run as independents.
They are: incumbent Hubbard Councilman At-Large Jerome C. Crowe and Mark Zuppo Sr. for Girard treasurer.
Amanda Teutsch is running as a write-in candidate in the Democratic primary for the Girard treasurer’s seat. Incumbent Treasurer John Moliterno is not seeking re-election.
No one is challenging Crowe, so he’ll be re-elected as long as his nominating petitions to run as an independent are certified by the Trumbull County Board of Elections.