43
2 candidates for Struthers mayor have been convicted of crimes
STRUTHERS
Both Democratic candidates for mayor have been convicted of crimes but no longer have records.
That’s because Ronald Carcelli’s conviction for having an unlawful interest in a public contract, from his time as the city’s street foreman, was sealed by a Mahoning County judge in 2012. The 1987 conviction of Danny Thomas Jr., an ex-councilman, for selling cocaine over the telephone also was sealed by a county judge in 1998, and he also was pardoned by then-President Bill Clinton a year later.
Carcelli, who serves on the city’s board of education, said last month that he was going to talk to The Vindicator about the issue to “set the record straight.” But he has since repeatedly refused to return numerous telephone calls from the newspaper.
Carcelli — not to be confused with his nephew Councilman Robert D. Carcelli III, D-4th, who is seeking re-election in the May 5 primary — was indicted in 2002 on felony counts of theft in office, bribery and theft.
Ronald Carcelli was convicted in 2005 of a misdemeanor count of unlawful interest in a public contract. He was ordered to pay $5,000 restitution to the city and a $1,000 fine. An indictment alleged Carcelli got about $5,000 in bribes and the city was improperly billed for about $8,000 for asphalt that wasn’t used.
Thomas was convicted of a federal count of illegal use of a communication facility — a telephone — to distribute cocaine, a felony.
While Carcelli won’t discuss his conviction, Thomas said, “I made a huge mistake and it’s part of my history. I turned a corner in my life. It’s no secret and I’ve never shied away from it. I can’t change what I did. I can only change what I am.”
Since then, Thomas said he’s turned his life around.
He is president of the Struthers School Foundation for Educational Excellence. He was elected to two terms as the 1st Ward councilman. He served two years as council president and spent four years as the mayor’s administrative assistant. He’s also served as a Democratic political consultant.
Carcelli “has never gone to the public and explained himself. He doesn’t want to discuss this with anyone, and he won’t show up for a debate or answer questions about his past,” Thomas said. “You’ve got a guy who stole from the city and wants to be mayor.”
The seat is open as two-term Mayor Terry Stocker, a Democrat, isn’t seeking re-election. There are no Republicans in the race.
The independent candidate filing deadline is May 4, a day before the Democratic primary. So far, John P. Sveda, a former councilman and safety-service director, has filed as an independent to run in the November general election.
Thomas said the city’s economic development has been “stagnant” under Stocker “with no growth and no prospects for growth.”
There are about 40 acres at the CASTLO Industrial Park along the Mahoning River at the former Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co.’s Struthers Works plant that are “shovel-ready” for an economic-development project, and nothing is happening, Thomas said.
“We need a mayor to come in there, roll up his sleeves and get things done,” he said. “The city has been neglected and ignored.”
Thomas also wants better enforcement of the city’s housing and rental codes and to clean up condemned properties.
He said the city needs to resolve the Elm Street Fire Station issue. The station was deemed unsafe in 2009, and the city hasn’t done anything since. Thomas said city officials need to decide on a place to build a new station and then work to obtain funding to construct it.
Thomas said the difference between him and Carcelli is he has 10 years of experience in the legislative and executive branches.
While Carcelli didn’t come to The Vindicator for an interview, he filled out the newspaper’s online questionnaire.
In response to a question about his experience and qualifications for the job, Carcelli wrote he was employed by the city for 30 years, including 16 as the head of the street department and a year as interim safety-service director, and noted his time on the city school board where he had served from 1990 to 2001 and then returned in 2010.
“Being street department foreman is like a guy working in a hospital wanting to be a doctor,” Thomas said.
When asked on the form to list the race’s major issues, Carcelli wrote: “I do not see any relevant issues in the city of Struthers.”
As for his top priorities, Carcelli wrote: maintaining fiscal integrity, pursuing state and federal funding, working to retain existing businesses and attracting new ones by partnering with state economic-development agencies, maintaining a positive working relationship, and meeting with employees monthly about safety.