Kale-Pesta unopposed for Mahoning Dem Party leadership

By DAVID SKOLNICK

skolnick@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Joyce Kale-Pesta, the interim Mahoning County Democratic Party chairwoman, was the only person to apply to fill the seat on a permanent basis.

Friday was the deadline to submit letters of interest for the leadership post.

So Kale-Pesta, who is also the director of the county board of elections, will officially be elected to the position by the party’s central committee at a Tuesday meeting, set to start at 6 p.m. at St. Luke’s Church Hall in Boardman.

“I’m excited to lead the party and concentrate on strengthening our local candidates,” she said.

The party has other business to take care of Tuesday, most notably a vote to eliminate endorsing candidates in primary elections.

The party brought back primary-election endorsements in 2010 after an absence of more than 15 years. It increased the influence of the party, but in later years it met with mixed results.

Kale-Pesta wants to get rid of endorsements, but it’s up to the party’s central committee to make that decision.

“I’ve never been in favor of endorsements,” she said. “I feel the voters should judge who the best candidates are.”

David Betras, who resigned as chairman, effective May 15, sought to eliminate endorsements last year, but said he was met with resistance from incumbent officeholders who wanted to keep them, so he didn’t follow through.

Kale-Pesta said she hadn’t received any negative feedback from officeholders to her plan.

The party also will vote on eliminating the secretary/executive vice chairwoman position.

The local party – along with other county parties in the state and the Ohio Democratic Party – has a rule that if the chairman is a man, the vice chairman’s post must be a woman, and vice versa.

As secretary/first vice chairwoman, Kale-Pesta automatically succeeded Betras, who resigned less than a year into his last term, on an interim basis. With Kale-Pesta poised to be elected to fill the remainder of Betras’ unexpired term through June 2022, the party already has Anthony Pilolli as executive vice chairman, so the opposite gender issue is moot at this point.

The party will keep the secretary position with Kale-Pesta saying she’ll appoint Kathryn Miller.

Another proposed change is needing simply the most votes to win races with more than two candidates for party offices or to fill a vacant elected position, she said. Currently, if a candidate fails to get more than 50 percent in a vote, the one with the lowest total is removed and so on until someone gets a majority.

Kale-Pesta essentially cleared the field and gained several key endorsements – including Betras and Christopher Anderson, the party’s political director – shortly after she expressed interest in the job. Kale-Pesta has worked at the elections board for 31 years, including the past seven as director. Before that, she worked 10 years for the county Democratic Party.

Betras, first elected chairman April 27, 2009, to fill an unexpired term, was re-elected in 2010, 2014 and 2018. He said he resigned to devote more time to his family and law practice.