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Sciortino ousted after 9 years
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Ralph Meacham is all smiles as he gets election results Tuesday night at Mahoning County Republican headquarters. The political newcomer defeated incumbent Mahoning County Auditor Michael Sciortino.
SEE ALSO: de SOUZA | Auditor Sciortino's record haunts him
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
milliken@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
Ralph Meacham has won the election for Mahoning County auditor, making him the first Republican elected to a non-judicial Mahoning County office since 1984.
The incumbent Democrat, Michael V. Sciortino, campaigned on his desire to build on the accomplishments of his office, regardless of his indictment in a government corruption case.
His Republican challenger, Meacham, a certified public accountant and a political newcomer, said he wanted to use his 35 years of private industry experience to seek improvements and efficiencies in county government.
The unofficial tally was 52 to 48 percent.
Mahoning County’s last Republican, non-judicial, elected officeholder was Gary VanBrocklin, who was elected in 1984 and served four years as county prosecutor.
“I attribute the win in this race to not just the Republicans, obviously, but the Democrats and independents who came out strong for me,” Meacham said.
“It was a lot of hard work. We got organized and we gathered the funds to do it,” he said, adding that he didn’t have a specific figure as to how much money was spent in his campaign.
He said his goal is “to get to know and work with all the fine people in the auditor’s office” and “to reach out and establish strong working relationships with the other elected county officials.”
He also said he wanted to “get a firm working understanding of the financial workings of the county and apply some of my business experience to those processes to find efficiencies for the taxpayers.”
Sciortino, a lawyer, campaigned unsuccessfully for a third consecutive four-year term in the $89,109-a-year job under the cloud of the indictment that alleges he conspired with others to impede the move of the county’s Department of Job and Family Services from rented quarters to Oakhill Renaissance Place, which the county bought in 2006.
He and the other defendants have pleaded innocent.
Sciortino also acknowledged he underwent alcohol addiction rehabilitation after a sheriff’s office commander “unarrested” him from a potential drunk driving charge stemming from a Canfield traffic stop.
“I’ve had a wonderful experience as county auditor for nine years. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people and also helped a lot of great people,” Sciortino said after the election results were final.
“This campaign was about the power of the people. I asked the voters to base their decision on my performance and accomplishments and to put the vote in their hands. That’s what this system is all about.”
Sciortino, 44, of Austintown, cited a host of accomplishments, including his office’s receipt of a certificate of excellence in financial reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of Ohio for the past seven years.
Despite the failure of a May sales tax renewal attempt, the county retained this year its A+ credit rating with a stable outlook from Standard & Poors, he noted.
He also cited the modernization of the county’s accounting system, unification of the county’s websites and the connection of local government data centers using high-speed broadband services.
Saying he would offer a fresh, independent view of county government, Meacham cited his experience in human resources, corporate management, investments, accounting, consulting, risk management, banking and finance.
Meacham, 64, of Lake Milton, former Pittsburgh Steelers chief financial officer, said the auditor’s office needed trust, accountability, transparency and business experience.
Meacham said government can be well-served by people from the private sector because private sector professionals are judged by strict problem-solving and results-oriented standards.
The auditor’s office performs the accounting, real estate appraisal, information technology and payroll functions of county government.
It also assures the accuracy of commercial weights and measures, including measurement of fuel dispensed by pumps.