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John Boccieri favored by Dems to succeed Gerberry
BOARDMAN
The Mahoning County Democratic Party recommended three candidates to fill the vacant 59th Ohio House District seat, but the overwhelming favorite is John Boccieri.
Boccieri – a former congressman, Ohio representative and senator – received 42 of the 53 total votes cast Wednesday by the party’s central and executive committees members.
“I’m humbled to have the support of the party,” said Boccieri, of Poland. “We still have our work cut out for us [with the caucus]. If I’m fortunate enough to be selected in Columbus, I will work very hard for this area.”
The party was asked to recommend three candidates, so the two other names being sent to the Ohio House Democratic Caucus, which makes the final decision, are ex-Boardman Trustee Robyn Gallitto and John Landers, a Boardman school board member.
Gallitto got six votes, and Landers received four.
Tom Lyden, an attorney from Boardman, received one vote. One person eligible to vote at the meeting at St. Luke’s Church Hall didn’t.
County Party Chairman David Betras failed to tell The Vindicator on Tuesday that Lyden was a candidate. Lyden applied before the party sought candidates, and Betras said not providing Lyden’s name was an oversight on his part.
Lyden’s candidacy was short-lived as he said he won’t seek the caucus appointment and is backing Boccieri.
The seat was vacated when Ronald V. Gerberry, an Austintown Democrat, resigned Aug. 21, the same day he was convicted of unlawful compensation of a public official.
“People go into public service with the best of intentions and end up serving their own interests,” Boccieri said.
When asked if he was referring to Gerberry, Boccieri said he wasn’t talking about anyone in particular.
But he added that “people don’t want to keep coming to meetings like this” to recommend or appoint replacements to officeholders convicted of crimes.
“You have to be careful about following the law,” Boccieri said.
Betras said if Republicans spent money in last year’s 59th House District race, Gerberry would have lost. Gerberry beat Republican Paul Mitchell, a political newcomer, by 7.5 percentage points in one of Gerberry’s closest general-election races.
Republicans “thought Ron Gerberry wasn’t vulnerable and they were wrong,” Betras said. “If they spent their money on Ron Gerberry, we wouldn’t be here” recommending his replacement.
Even though the party is sending the names of the top three, the candidates have to send resumes and letters of interest by Monday to the caucus – as does anyone else wanting the appointment, said Jordan Plottner, caucus spokesman.
Landers already has given his information to the caucus. After the vote, Boccieri and Gallitto said they’d do the same.
The party’s recommendations will play a factor in the caucus’s decision, Plottner said.
Based on Wednesday’s vote, his ability to raise money, his legislative experience, and that he once served in the General Assembly with some of the caucus members, Boccieri is seen as the frontrunner.
A five-member caucus screening committee – which includes state Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan of Youngstown, D-58th – will begin candidate interviews shortly after the application deadline.
The final decision rests with the 33-member House Democratic Caucus. That selection should be made by the end of the month.
The district includes about half of Mahoning County, including all of Boardman, Canfield and Poland.