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Warren mayor may face opposition from two independents in November
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
Mayor Doug Franklin will not have any opposition in the May Democratic primary, but it’s possible he’ll have two opponents in November.
The Trumbull County Board of Elections on Monday affirmed its earlier decision to remove Ian L. Folmar Sr. from the ballot, saying he didn’t have enough valid signatures on his petitions.
Folmar, 44, of Southwest Boulevard, who said he is retired from the Internal Revenue Service, appealed the board’s February decision that removed him from the ballot. He testified Monday morning that the rules should better accommodate homeless people.
Many of Folmar’s signatures were ruled invalid because the signer’s signature didn’t match the signatures the board has on file, the person gave a different address from the one on file, or the signer was not registered to vote.
Folmar said he canvassed the Palmyra Heights area of the city’s West Side to obtain signatures and discovered that there are many more homeless people than he imagined.
He believes homelessness is the reason many of the signatures didn’t meet the elections board’s requirements.
Folmar said lack of jobs in Warren and the refusal of many people to apply for welfare or go to homeless shelters are reasons so many people find themselves in “dire straits.”
Folmar said he plans to submit petitions to run as an independent for Warren mayor and appear on the ballot in November.
Folmar said one big reason he is running for mayor is because of the condition of Warren roads and lack of jobs.
Meanwhile, Dennis Blank, a retired Time Inc. executive who has worked the past two years to restore a neighborhood north of downtown Warren into the Garden District, will announce he is a candidate for Warren mayor Wednesday.
A news release says Blank will announce at 5:15 p.m. at the Mocha House restaurant on High Street that he also will file to run in November as an independent.