Election complaint filed against Rulli in state Senate race

By David Skolnick

skolnick@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman David Betras filed a complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission alleging Michael Rulli, the Republican nominee for the 33rd Ohio Senate District seat, is making improper corporate contributions to his campaign.

For his part, Rulli dismissed Betras’ allegation as a “campaign stunt.”

Betras accuses Rulli, director of operations for Rulli Bros., of using the business’ two locations – in Austintown and Boardman – and employees to distribute yard signs and other campaign materials.

Betras provided a copy of a Facebook post from Rulli’s Senate campaign page that states a person can stop at the stores to get yard signs for his campaign.

Betras’ complaint, filed Monday, cites state law that prohibits corporations from using “money or property” to help “a candidate for election or nomination to public office.”

In response, Rulli said candidates are constitutionally protected by the right to free speech to give out campaign materials and the law cited in the complaint doesn’t apply to handing out yard signs.

“I look forward [to] this complaint being exposed for what it is – a campaign stunt designed to shift attention away from the message I’m delivering,” he said.

Rulli said he’s “more concerned with creating jobs, fixing our schools and fighting the drug epidemic that’s literally killing Ohioans every day.”

Rulli, of Salem, is running against state Rep. John Boccieri, a Poland Democrat, in the November general election for the state Senate seat that represents all of Mahoning and Columbiana counties.

State Sen. Joe Schiavoni, a Boardman Democrat, holds the seat but can’t run this year for re-election because of term limits.