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Candidates for two open Trumbull seats face off at Maplewood forum
By Ed Runyan
MECCA TOWNSHIP
Two men who have never held public office before each tried to convince an audience Wednesday night at Maplewood High School that he can help lead Trumbull County government in the absence of Paul Heltzel, who died last summer.
Mauro Cantalamessa, a Warren restaurant owner whom Trumbull County Democrats appointed to fill Heltzel’s vacant position until the November election and to run in it, has had the advantage of being a commissioner for a couple of months.
He told the audience at a candidates forum sponsored by the Maplewood senior government class and Trumbull County Trustees’ Association that his suggestion for a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) contributed to a successful resolution of problems at the Western Reserve Port Authority.
“I’ve taken an aggressive leadership role,” Cantalamessa said. He suggested the analysis during closed-door meetings with his fellow Trumbull County commissioners and those from Mahoning County as a way to resolve dysfunction among port authority board members.
The result was that three good, new board members were appointed and a good interim executive director was hired, Cantalamessa said.
J.D. Williams of Liberty, a commercial pilot and retired 34-year veteran of the Air Force Reserves, said he’s running for commissioner because he wants progress, saying it is more likely to happen if there is a “two-party system” of Democrats and Republicans at the commissioners office.
He said his own two adult daughters are examples of young people leaving the area to work, a trend he wants to change.
He said he wants to “make Trumbull County the most affordable and appealing place to do business. One method will be to “market our area to the rest of the country and the rest of the world.”
Incumbent Democratic Commissioner Frank Fuda couldn’t attend because of illness, but Trumbull County Auditor Adrian Biviano spoke on his behalf, calling him “the hardest working commissioner I’ve seen in 36 years. He’s like the councilman of Trumbull County.”
Septic installer Berry Meadows spoke on behalf of Republican Patricia Paridon, who is Fuda’s opponent.
He read a letter from Paridon, saying she will hold commissioners meetings at times that are better for the public and attack “cronyism and corruption.”
Among the other candidates who spoke were Republican Randy Law and Democrat Michael O’Brien, both of Warren, and Elaine R. Mastromatteo of Bristolville for 64th Ohio House, seeking to fill an open seat now occupied by Tom Letson, who is running for Ohio Supreme Court.