Trumbull political chiefs team up to honor native president McKinley

Staff report

NILES

The Republican and Democratic party chairmen for Trumbull County say it’s rare for them to get together on much, but where Niles-born 25th American president William McKinley is concerned, they are united.

“I think he’s an inspiration to all of the sons and daughters of Trumbull County,” Republican Chairman Randy Law said.

“He’s well respected in Ohio,” Democratic Chairman Dan Polivka said of McKinley, who was a Republican and was born in Niles in 1843. He later lived in Poland and Canton.

Law and Polivka had a news conference Wednesday to announce that they are organizing a commemoration and celebration of McKinley’s life for 2 p.m. Sunday at the National McKinley Memorial. That’s also where Law and Polivka had their news conference.

Among the events will be an appearance by Trumbull County resident Mike Wilson, who regularly presents information about McKinley while dressed like him.

They said President Barack Obama’s recent renaming of Mount McKinley in Alaska to Mount Denali is one reason they were moved to organize the event.

Both men say part of the event will be a rallying cry to Ohio congressmen and senators to reconsider a change that takes away the honor of having North America’s highest peak named for McKinley.

“It behooves us to take a stand,” Polivka said.

McKinley served in Congress from 1876 to 1890 and was elected governor of Ohio in 1891 and 1893 before being elected president in 1897. He died Sept. 14, 1901, after being shot by an assassin several days earlier in Buffalo.

Law and Polivka said they both have Niles roots, with Law’s family running a grocery store on Main Street in Niles at one time and Polivka living in Niles during most of his youth.

The county commissioners will approve a resolution today honoring McKinley, Polivka noted.