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Mahoning County auditor calls his indictment a distraction
Democratic Party endorses sales tax, opposes charter amendment to ban fracking
YOUNGSTOWN
Facing re-election, Mahoning County Auditor Michael V. Sciortino, indicted on 22 criminal counts related to allegations of political corruption, urged voters to focus on his accomplishments in office.
“Some folks will bring up distractions; that’s what happens in campaigns,” Sciortino said Tuesday at a meeting of the county Democratic Party’s executive committee.
The meeting was called for the party to endorse the county’s 0.75-percent sales tax and to oppose a citizen-initiative charter amendment to ban fracking in Youngstown. The committee unanimously did both, but not before hearing from Sciortino.
It was the first time Sciortino talked about the indictment in public, with a member of the media present, since before he pleaded not guilty May 29. He faces charges including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, conspiracy, perjury, bribery, money laundering and tampering with records.
Sciortino, Youngstown Mayor John A. McNally, a fellow Democrat; and Martin Yavorcik, a failed 2008 independent candidate for county prosecutor; were indicted May 14 for what prosecutors say was their roles in illegally trying to impede the move of the county’s Department of Job and Family Services to Oakhill Renaissance Place from Garland Plaza, owned by the Cafaro Co.
“They’ll want to bring up distractions, Oakhill, the bogeyman,” Sciortino said.
Sciortino said he’s facing a “well-funded Republican opponent,” Ralph T. Meacham, in the Nov. 4 general election. Sciortino is having a number of fundraisers during the next few weeks.
Sciortino also brought up the effort to suspend him with pay that is embroiled in a procedural dispute with the Ohio Supreme Court.
“Only the voters of Mahoning County can tell me whether I have a job or not; not a commission down in Columbus, not a task force,” he said.
Mahoning Democratic Chairman David Betras said: “I stand with Mike. I’m judging him on his job.”
Also before the votes, Betras urged the executive committee members to not give up on Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, the Democratic nominee for governor.
Betras said, “I need everyone to be positive. I hear you all say, ‘We’ve lost that race.’ We have not lost that race.”
In recent weeks it’s been revealed that FitzGerald drove for about a decade without a regular driver’s license. That led the state troopers association on Monday to rescind an earlier endorsement for FitzGerald. Also, he’s lost key members of his campaign staff and has struggled to raise money.
The Mahoning Democratic executive committee unanimously voted Tuesday to support the county sales tax — a 0.5-percent renewal with a 0.25-percent additional tax to generate about $24 million annually.
The money from the tax would be restricted to the sheriff’s, prosecutor’s and coroner’s offices and the 911 emergency dispatching center.
The committee also unanimously voted to oppose Youngstown’s anti-fracking proposal, saying it would hurt business in the city.