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Struthers mayoral candidates list qualifications and priorities
Candidates address qualifications, priorities
STRUTHERS
Councilman Michael Patrick, D-at large, and secretary to the law director Catherine Cercone-Miller are in the race to determine who will be the Democratic Party candidate for Struthers mayor this November.
Cercone-Miller said she wants the position to better promote change in the city.
She has worked in the city prosecutor’s office for nearly five years as the secretary to the law director and has more than five years of experience as a grant writer.
Cercone-Miller has also volunteered with and served on the boards of organizations including the Struthers Rotary Corps, the Hope Foundation, The Taste of Struthers and The Struthers School Foundation. She also coached girls basketball in the city school district.
Patrick has served on city council for 12 years and has spent 27 years as a firefighter with the Struthers Fire Department.
During his time on council, Patrick has served on the finance and legislation, police and fire and zoning and annexation and public utility committees.
He said he would give 40 hours a week to the job and he would send his appointees to training so they are properly qualified to serve in their positions.
Patrick said his main priorities, if elected, would be to ensure the funding of a new fire station and to see more effective enforcement of city ordinances targeting blight and rental properties.
Cercone-Miller said her top priorities, if elected, would be to promote robust code enforcement and blight remediation endeavors, business development, improving relationships with the school district and pursuing federal and state grants.
Patrick attended the Standard Oil Management School and trained to be a firefighter. Cercone-Miller has two bachelor’s degrees from Capital University, one in psychology and the other in art therapy.