Struthers law director alleges school board member raised political funds in City Hall

By Sarah Lehr

slehr@vindy.com

STRUTHERS

Struthers Law Director Dominic Leone has filed a complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission, claiming Ron Carcelli, a Struthers school board member, solicited political contributions to Mayor Terry Stocker’s golf outing while in city hall.

A section of Ohio elections law, referring to political contributions states, “No person shall solicit a contribution from any public employee while the public employee is performing the public employee’s official duties or is in those areas of a public building where official business is transacted or conducted.”

Funds from the annual Terry Stocker golf outing go to the Committee to Elect Terry P. Stocker.

Carcelli told The Vindicator on Friday, he walked into the law director’s office and asked Leone’s secretary, Catherine Miller, if Leone would sponsor a hole at the mayor’ golf outing, which took place last Saturday.

Miller signed an affidavit included in the complaint, stating that Carcelli approached her during business hours while she was conducting city business and solicited contributions to the mayor’s golf outing.

When questioned by The Vindicator, Carcelli said Miller is a family friend and claimed he did not ask for money because he merely asked for sponsorship of a golf hole. Carcelli acknowledged, however, it costs $100 to sponsor a hole.

Stocker similarly claimed asking for sponsorship of a golf hole did not count as asking for money.

Carcelli said he only once asked for sponsorship of the tournament while in city hall and said no cash or checks exchanged hands on that occasion.

Stocker, in response to questioning, initially suggested the golf outing did not constitute a political cause, drawing an equivalency to when bachelor-party organizers might ask for donations for a golf outing to raise money for a wedding.

Stocker said, before hearing about the OEC complaint, he had no knowledge of Carcelli asking for political contributions while in a government building.

“I basically think that nothing inappropriate happened here,” the mayor said. “If it did happen, It’s certainly not the kind of thing I would tolerate.”

He added, “I honestly don’t get what the big deal is, and I don’t understand why it’s become the whole big thing. ... I think Dom [Leone] is trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill.”

Stocker suggested the complaint resulted from personal issues, saying of Leone and Carcelli, “I honestly don’t know what’s going on between those two.”

Carcelli also said Leone had personal motivations, referring to a verbal altercation between himself and Leone around general-election day in November 2015.

Leone said he had concerns about Carcelli soliciting donations for any cause because of Carcelli’s criminal history.

“I have suspicions about people trusting him with their money,” Leone said.

In 2005, Carcelli received a six-month suspended jail sentence and a year’s probation after a judge found him guilty of a misdemeanor charge of unlawful interest in a public contract. The judge also ordered Carcelli to pay $1,000 in fines and $5,000 in restitution to the City of Struthers.

The conviction was a reduced charge. In 2002, a grand jury indicted Carcelli on felony charges of theft in office, bribery and theft. The charges related to Carcelli’s involvement with a paving contract while Carcelli was the city street supervisor.

Carcelli had his record sealed in 2012.

In response to questions by The Vindicator editorial board in 2015 about Carcelli campaigning for Stocker’s re-election, Stocker distanced himself from Carcelli, saying he did not ask Carcelli to campaign.

“If someone wants to help me out, I’m not going to stop them,” Stocker said Friday. ”I didn’t understand how The Vindicator isn’t going to endorse me just cause this guy put up some signs for me. I can’t stop him from doing that.”

Stocker said he did not ask Carcelli to solicit donations for the 2016 golf outing, but that he gave Carcelli permission to do so after Carcelli volunteered.

Carcelli, not to be confused with his nephew Struthers Councilman Robert D. Carcelli III, D-4th, lost a primary bid against Danny Thomas, Jr. in May 2015 to be the Democratic candidate for Struthers mayor. Stocker, who ran as a write-in, beat Thomas in the general election.

Carcelli said he is not involved in any official capacity with the Committee to Elect Terry P. Stocker. Records filed with the Mahoning County Board of Elections in 2016 list Thomas Sweder, former city treasurer, as the committee’s treasurer and Stocker as the deputy treasurer.

“To be truthful with you, I honestly never even knew it was illegal,” Carcelli said Friday of soliciting campaign contributions from city employees in a government office.

Leone said he felt it was “bold” and ironic for Carcelli to commit the offense alleged in the complaint while in the law director’s office.

The complaint against Carcelli is set for preliminary review Aug. 25, according to the OEC secretary.