Kitchen repays $2,500 of $4,000 Sammarone campaign contribution

YOUNGSTOWN — Failed Youngstown mayoral candidate DeMaine Kitchen loaned $1,500 to his campaign today and used $1,000 left in that account to repay $2,500 of an improper cash contribution given by former Mayor Charles Sammarone.

Sammarone contributed $4,000 in cash to Kitchen’s campaign.

State law doesn’t permit cash contributions of more than $100.

The Mahoning County Board of Elections filed a complaint Tuesday with the Ohio Elections Commission about the cash contribution and that the report was filed nearly three months after its deadline.

Kitchen filed an amendmended campaign finance report today showing the loan, a copy of a check for $2,500 to Sammarone, and outstanding debt of $1,400 to the former mayor.

The amended report will be sent to the state elections commission, which has the responsibility to resolve the matter, said Joyce Kale-Pesta, Mahoning election board director.

For the complete story, read Wednesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com