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Fuda in victory: ‘We still have a lot of work to do’
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
Democrat Frank Fuda’s career in public office will continue four more years with his defeat of Republican Mary Williams for Trumbull County commissioner.
Fuda defeated Lakeview school board member Williams 58.5 percent to 38 percent. Independent Niki Frenchko received 3.5 percent of the vote in a limited campaign.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” Fuda said after learning the results. He said problems with the county’s public transportation agency, Trumbull Transit, are among the issues that need to be ironed out. Also, sanitary sewer and waterline projects need to be completed in the next four years. But he cited “a lot of progress” so far.
Williams, who got 44 percent of the vote when she ran against Commissioner Dan Polivka in the 2016 race for commissioner, acknowledged that she did not have the same energy level in this campaign as in 2016 because she has been battling esophogeal cancer.
“Most people know I am a fighter, a kicker and screamer,” she said Tuesday. “Just as I was ready to bring it on, boom, a very unexpected hurdle was thrown my way,” she said of the cancer. “It slowed me down, but I didn’t give up. Heck, I was out at 11 p.m. last night getting signs out.”
Fuda, 73, who overcame a challenge from an endorsed Democrat Lisha Pompili Baumiller of Hubbard in the primary, will now serve his fourth term as commissioner after a long career as Niles councilman.
Williams, of Cortland, is owner of a bookkeeping company. She has also done marketing and said one reason she ran was that Fuda and Polivka have been in office for so long. Frenchko said she got into the race because she was not happy with either of Fuda’s challengers – Williams or Pompili Baumiller.