43
Two Youngstown councilmen won’t seek re-election
5 other incumbents will run for re-election this year
YOUNGSTOWN
Two Youngstown City Council members don’t plan to seek re-election this year.
Councilmen T.J. Rodgers, D-2nd, and Nate Pinkard, D-3rd, said they wouldn’t run for a third four-year term.
The five other incumbents said they were going to run for re-election this year.
Wednesday is the filing deadline to run in the May 7 primary for the seven city council seats for both Democrats and Republicans though Republicans didn’t have a Youngstown council candidate in 2015 and only one in 2011.
May 6 is the final day to file as independent candidates for council. Rodgers and Pinkard both said they had no interest in running as independents.
Until a charter amendment passed in the November 2018 election, Rodgers, Pinkard and Councilman Mike Ray, D-4th, wouldn’t have been permitted to run for a third term.
The charter amendment removed the restriction on running for more than two consecutive elected four-year terms. It was approved 8,411-8,064 in November, a margin of victory of only 2.1 percentage points.
“I like my work on council, but I want to spend more time with my family,” Rodgers said in explaining why he wouldn’t run for a third term.
Rodgers said he knows of a couple of people interested in the ward seat, but declined to disclose their names.
As of Thursday, the Mahoning County Board of Elections had only one nominating petition for any of the seven Youngstown council seats. That was from Denice Necie Neal Davis of Madera Avenue, a former chief of staff for a Chicago alderman, in the 3rd Ward.
Pinkard said, “I signed up to do two terms, which I did do. I believe in term limits, not only on the local level but on the national level. I thought I did a good job for the citizens of the 3rd Ward, but it’s time to move on to other things and give other people a shot.”
Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th, who is running for re-election, said of Rodgers and Pinkard, “They’ve served the public well. They’ll be missed.”
In addition to Davis, the other incumbents seeking a second four-year term in the Democratic primary are Julius T. Oliver, D-1st; Lauren McNally, D-5th; and Basia Adamczak, D-7th. Ray will seek his third four-year term in the primary.
Also on the ballot is a municipal court judicial seat with a six-year term.
Judge Renee DiSalvo was appointed by former Gov. John Kasich to fill an unexpired term, effective Nov. 5. She will run in the Republican primary for the position.
A number of Democrats are expected to file by Wednesday’s deadline for the spot though none had filed as of Thursday.