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Three Youngstown council incumbents were unanimously endorsed
Redistricting has placed some central committee members in new wards
YOUNGSTOWN
The three incumbent Youngstown City Council members were unanimously endorsed by the Mahoning County Democratic Party’s central and executive committees in their respective wards.
In three of the other four wards, the races weren’t close — while confusion and a lot of candidates in the 5th Ward resulted in seven ballots before a winner was declared.
The winners at Wednesday’s meeting at Grace Evangelistic Temple Church, 2214 Mahoning Ave., for the seven seats on Youngstown City Council:
1st Ward: Mike Write
2nd Ward: T.J. Rodgers
3rd Ward: Nate Pinkard
4th Ward: Mike Ray
5th Ward: Lauren McNally
6th Ward: Anita Davis
7th Ward: John Vivo
Rodgers, Ray and Pinkard are incumbents seeking their second four-year term.
Council members in the four other wards couldn’t run this year for re-election because of the city’s term-limits law.
There are 23 Democratic candidates for the council seats in the May 5 primary. All but Christopher N. Travers in the 7th Ward sought the party’s endorsement.
The city’s seven wards are redistricted with this year’s election — the first time the boundary lines in Youngstown were moved in more than 30 years — which placed some elected central committee members in new wards.
That left a huge imbalance in the number of voters in each ward ranging from nine in the 4th Ward to 19 in the 5th Ward.
While there were 19 eligible voters in the 5th, only 12 showed up.
Among the seven no-shows were incumbent Councilman Paul Drennen, Mayor John A. McNally and council President Charles Sammarone, all executive committee members from the 5th Ward.
As required by the national and state Democratic parties, voting was public, and Wednesday’s vote was the first time the local party has operated under those rules in decades. Before that, endorsement votes were by secret ballot.
There were some who abstained — several because they didn’t want their vote to be public.
Also, in the 7th Ward, a proposal to not endorse failed 5 to 4.
“It is not a pleasant task to do endorsements, but it is something we have to do,” said county Democratic Chairman David Betras.
Though Betras said he wasn’t supporting any candidates, he told voters that “as a party, we should stand behind incumbents” because voters have already chosen them.
The closest — and most confusing — vote was in the 5th Ward, taking seven ballots to get a winner. There are six candidates in that race.
Candidates needed to get 50 percent of the vote plus one. If that doesn’t happen, candidates with no votes and the candidate with the lowest vote total are removed.
The first three votes in the 5th Ward, which includes the lower West Side, were invalidated. That’s because Richard P. Clautti of Boardman, the party’s treasurer who was overseeing that ward’s endorsement, voted those first three times, saying that as an executive committee member he thought he was allowed to vote.
Because of Clautti’s votes, Betras ordered that a new round take place.
Lauren McNally received the support of three of the 12 members during the first legitimate vote while Cynthia McWilson had the most at four, but needed seven to win. McWilson also had the most at four during the next vote. McWilson and McNally each had four votes in the following round. When it came down to McNally and McWilson in a one-on-one vote, McNally won 7 to 5.
Those who were endorsed Wednesday said having the party’s support is a key to winning the May primary.
“It’s vital, as it allows me to have some additional leverage and credibility,” Write said.