Republican Williams announces she’s running against Frank Fuda for Trumbull commissioner

Staff report

WARREN

Republican Mary Williams of Cortland, who got 44 percent of the votes in a three-person race for county commissioner in 2016, has announced her candidacy for another run at county commissioner this year.

She and Pastor Todd Johnson lost in 2016 to Commissioner Dan Polivka, who got 50 percent of the votes, in 2016. This time she faces Commissioner Frank Fuda. Polivka is Trumbull County Democratic Party chairman. Fuda is also a Democrat.

Williams, who is a member of the Lakeview and Trumbull Career and Technical Center boards of education, is a former business owner and former marketing manager who is now retired.

Williams criticized Fuda in her remarks during an event at the Chase Bank recently, saying she will “do what is best for Trumbull County, not just for friends I’ve attempted to hand out jobs to, like [Fuda] has done.”

When reached later, Fuda called her remarks “a joke.”

Fuda and Polivka have attacked each other in recent years with allegations that the other was too involved in county hiring matters.

Democrat Lisha Pompili Baumiller, a Hubbard council member for the past 17 years, said she also will oppose Fuda in the May 8 Democratic primary, though she plans to hold off on making a formal announcement until later this month. She also ran against Fuda in 2014.