Sciortino-Meacham race heats up; Betras alleges campaign crime

County Auditor

Video Set

YOUNGSTOWN

Ralph Meacham said he would not “clean house” if he’s elected Mahoning County auditor next month, but a commissioner and the county Democratic Party’s chairman blasted Meacham’s campaign fundraising emails to county workers on their accounts.

Meacham, a certified public accountant, said he looks forward to building partnerships with other county officials.

Meacham, former chief financial officer for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is the Republican challenger to County Auditor Michael V. Sciortino, who is a Democratic lawyer.

Tuesday’s events also included a tiff over an emailed blast invitation to today’s Meacham political fundraiser from Meacham’s campaign public-relations firm that went to county employees on county government accounts.

Atty. Dave Betras, county Democratic Party Chairman, said soliciting political contributions from county employees while they’re at work or in their workplaces is a first-degree misdemeanor criminal violation of state law.

“I personally am not sending any emails out to any county employees,” Meacham said. “I have not directly solicited any county employee over the phone or Internet,” or by email.

As to the job of auditor, he said his first priority is to restore confidence in the auditor’s office, noting Sciortino’s employees “kept the office running smoothly during long absences of the current auditor.”

“I will spend considerable time relationship-building, getting to know each individual and assessing their expertise,” Meacham said of the auditor’s office employees.

Sciortino has acknowledged he checked into an alcoholism rehabilitation facility after a county sheriff’s office commander “unarrested” him from a potential drunken-driving charge in Canfield.

Sciortino maintains he works more than 40 hours a week and characterized Meacham’s reference to his “long absences” as “a flat-out lie.”

Read more about the race in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.