ELECTION UPDATE | South Range levy opponents 'take no joy' in levy defeat

SOUTH RANGE — Members of ACT Now for South Range schools gathered at The Smokin' Gun Saloon on Market Street Tuesday night as election results came in.

"We were just worried about turnout," said Richard Ferenchak, an outspoken resident at South Range school meetings.

He and others discussed ACT Now, which stands for Accountability, Clarity and Transparency. They gathered around a table as more residents arrived and wondered what the vote was going to be.

After a phone bank the group did through Americans For Prosperity, the group believed a South Range operating levy would fall for the third consecutive ballot before residents in Green and Beaver townships.

And the levy did go down. Unofficial results from the Mahoning County Board of Elections showed 1,254 voters opposed the levy to 816 who supported it.

"The South Range citizens who formed ACT take no joy in the defeat of the levy. However, we hope it triggers an honest top to bottom review of the school system’s finances and operations," Ferenchak said.