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Mayor’s race in Struthers wide open
On the side
Winbush re-elected: The Ohio Republican Party’s state central and executive committee recently re-elected Tracey Winbush of Youngstown to a second two-year term as the party’s assistant treasurer. Winbush is vice chairwoman of the Mahoning County Republican Party and serves on the county board of elections.
Barreiro appointed: Gov. John Kasich appointed Timothy J. Barreiro of Canfield to the Ohio Commission for Minority Health. Barreiro’s term expires Sept. 2, 2016. The commission focuses on reducing the disparity between the health status of minority and non-minority populations.
Mercer County Dems: The Mercer County Democratic Party is having an open house Saturday from 1-4 p.m. at its headquarters, 16 Vine St. in Sharon, Pa.
After eight years as Struthers mayor, Terry Stocker will not seek re-election.
“It’s been a great ride and a great time,” said Stocker, who prior to being mayor served 18 years on city council. “We’ve gotten a lot of things done. But I want to spend more time with kids and grandkids.”
While there could be more, two candidates — Ronald Carcelli and Anthony Cabuno — have been planning for a while to run in the Democratic primary in May to succeed Stocker, also a Democrat. There aren’t many Republicans in Struthers though there could be candidates running as independents in the November general election.
The Carcelli name in Struthers is very well known with his nephew currently on council and his brother a former councilman and council president.
Ronald Carcelli, the likely favorite to succeed Stocker at this time, is a school board member and the city’s former street department foreman.
He was indicted in 2002 on felony charges of theft in office, bribery and theft related to his city job. In 2005, he was found guilty of a misdemeanor count of unlawful interest in a public contract. He received a six-month suspended jail sentence, 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 billed for about $8,000 for asphalt that wasn’t used.
He was also put on probation for a year.
Judge Lou D’Apolito of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court agreed in 2012 to seal Carcelli’s record. State law allows first offenders convicted of a misdemeanor to file for expungement one year after they have completed the terms of their sentencing, including probation.
As for Cabuno, this is his first bid for elected office.
A check on the county’s court website shows he was convicted in 2007 of passing a bad check. He received a six-month suspended jail sentence, and put on probation for six months. Cabuno also has a couple of open cases filed by the state Department of Taxation for failure to pay sales tax, and a number of foreclosures.
Stocker said he may endorse in the mayoral race.
“I want to see the field,” he said. “I’m looking for someone with the experience who wants to continue where I left off.”
However, county Democratic Chairman David Betras isn’t in any rush for the party to endorse.
“I’d have to wait to see who files, but I don’t anticipate endorsing in Struthers races,” he said. “We’ll leave that one up to the families in Struthers.”
What he didn’t say — though he and other Democrats are probably thinking — is it’s not worth the potential embarrassment of endorsing Carcelli or Cabuno. Also, it would come on the heels of the nasty fallout that occurred after county Auditor Michael Sciortino — a Democrat under criminal indictment for his alleged involvement in the Oakhill Renaissance Place corruption case — lost his re-election bid in November.
Feb. 4 is the filing deadline for the May primary.
Also, because of the redistricting in Youngstown that now puts some precinct committee members in wards in which they were not elected, the party is “probably not going to weigh in” on the city’s council races, Betras said.