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Chief deputy clerk of courts files to run for Mahoning County Court judge
YOUNGSTOWN
Kathi McNabb Welsh of Boardman, Mahoning County chief deputy clerk of courts, became the fifth person to file nominating petitions for the county court position held by suspended Judge Diane Vettori.
Aug. 8 is the deadline to file nominating petitions for the seat.
McNabb Welsh turned in her petitions Wednesday to the board of elections.
Others who’ve filed petitions for the seat are A. Ross Douglass of Canfield, Matt Gambrel of Boardman, Christopher Sammarone of Canfield and J.P. Morgan of Canfield.
McNabb Welsh is a former assistant prosecuting attorney for Mahoning County and Akron, and was the first woman elected president of the Mahoning County Bar Association.
In 2003, she was appointed and then subsequently elected to the Mahoning County Educational Service Center board and is serving her fourth term. She sits on the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center board and was an Eastern Gateway Community College trustee.
Judge Vettori faces charges of mail fraud, structuring cash deposits and making false statements to law-enforcement officers. She is prohibited by the Ohio Supreme Court from hearing cases while her case is pending.
Federal prosecutors accuse Judge Vettori of Canfield, in her capacity as a private attorney, of stealing at least $96,200 from the Glenwood Avenue property of Dolores Falgiani after Falgiani died in March 2016. She also is accused of depositing that money in a way that avoided federal reporting requirements and of lying to FBI agents when confronted about the matter.
She rejected a government deal to settle the charges and prosecutors say they’ll go before a federal grand jury to seek an indictment against her.