Why arrest ‘johns’?

No, the headline isn’t an apologia for the procurers of “ladies of the night” – or in the language of the street, whore mongers.

Rather, it’s designed to shed some light on government corruption in the Mahoning Valley. There’s a certain symmetry between being a prostitute and being an elected official. Money is the root of evil in both cases.

Indeed, it could be said that being a hooker is more honest than being an officeholder. Why? Because one will not admit to taking cash to do favors, while the other will tell you up front how much it will cost to buy her services.

And yet, the “john” – a man who pays money to a prostitute for sex – is targeted by law enforcement in its crackdown of prostitution, but an individual who bribes a public official more often than not is given a pass.

Why? Because government corruption is seen as a one-sided transaction, where the conviction of the public official is the ultimate goal.

And so we come to the Oakhill Renaissance Place criminal conspiracy case featuring current and former officeholders in Mahoning County.

At the heart of this stunning breach of public trust is an individual who is said to have not only masterminded the conspiracy, but to have bribed the public officials to undermine the conduct of government business.

And what has happened to this person who has shown no hesitation in using his wealth to procure the services of the prostitutes of the public sector? Nothing – so far.

Wishful thinking

The words “so far” are a verbal crossing of this writer’s fingers. They are wishful.

For years, this column has been dedicated to the proposition that government corruption in the Mahoning Valley has gone on for so long because the corrupters – the johns – have been given a pass in return for identifying the public officials – the prostitutes – who have sold their positions for so many dollars.

It’s all about getting the corrupt government servants out of office, say prosecutors.

And yet, in law enforcement’s crackdown of prostitution, sting operations are often conducted to nab the johns.

Several years ago, such an operation was launched in Youngstown, with police officers disguised as Market Street hookers. The names of the men who sought the services of the “ladies of the night” were made public – and published in The Vindicator.

(It is a sad commentary on the plight of the city of Youngstown that the going rate was so embarrassingly low. Youngstown can’t even do prostitution right.)

By contrast, when more than 70 public officials, including judges, a prosecutor and a sheriff, were nabbed in a major crackdown of government corruption by the FBI, the names of most of those who bought the services of elected officials and other government types were kept under wraps.

Against that backdrop, the comments from Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and a key member of his staff about the Oakhill criminal-conspiracy case have this writer believing that “The John” – actually, ‘The Tony” – will walk away unscathed.

Not long ago. DeWine told members of The Vindicator Editorial Board that the goal was to go after corrupt government officials, and he was taken aback when this writer pointed out that there would be no corruption if well-heeled individuals in the community weren’t willing to buy the services of morally corrupt officeholders.

Court documents identify Anthony M. Cafaro Sr., the retired president of the Cafaro Co., as the mastermind of the Oakhill Renaissance conspiracy. Cafaro did not want Mahoning County commissioners to buy Oakhill Renaissance Place, the former Southside Medical Center, because he knew that the Job and Family Services agency would be relocated from the Cafaro Co.-owned Garland Plaza on Youngstown’s East Side.

There are three defendants in the Oakhill case: former commissioner and now Youngstown Mayor John A. McNally, former county Auditor Michael Sciortino and Youngstown Atty. Martin Yavorcik. They are scheduled to go on trial in March in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on more than 80 criminal charges, including bribery.

There is little indication – thus far – that Anthony M. Cafaro Sr. is the ultimate target.

Indeed, this column (and the comparison to hookers and johns) was triggered by a statement from Dan Tierney, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office, in reaction to the most recent development in the case.

“We’ll abide by the court’s ruling.” Tierney said. “These rulings mean we will be able to move ahead so there is no further delay in the trial. It’s in the public’s interest to start the trial so [they are] aware of the actions taken by these public officials.”

No mention was made of the central role played by the wealthy individual who bought the services of McNally, Sciortino and Yavorcik.

The Oakhill Renaissance criminal case is actually about hookers and johns. It’s time to get the mug shots of the johns in the newspaper.