Kennedy vows to maintain efficienct death investigations in Mahoning County

YOUNGSTOWN

As the Mahoning County coroner, Dr. David Kennedy said his top priority is to continue to provide thorough death investigations in the most cost-efficient manner.

Dr. Kennedy, who has been the coroner for 22 years, is a Democrat seeking re-election Nov. 8.

His Republican challenger, Dr. John Vargo, neither filled out a Vindicator candidate questionnaire nor accepted The Vindicator’s invitation to an interview with its editorial board.

As the part-time county coroner, Dr. Kennedy earns $63,255 a year.

As Dr. Kennedy seeks re-election, his office is challenged by the epidemic of drug-overdose deaths.

In Mahoning County, the coroner’s office logged 58 drug-overdose deaths in 2013, 51 in 2014 and 68 in 2015.

The demands on the office are increasing as prosecutors are becoming more aggressive in prosecuting drug dealers for manslaughter in overdose cases, and autopsies and more thorough lab tests are needed to prove their cases, Dr. Kennedy explained.

Besides Dr. Kennedy, the coroner’s office staff consists of Dr. Joseph Ohr, the forensic pathologist; four investigators; and two secretaries.

The office operates on an annual budget of about $800,000.

Read more about the race in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.