Here's one explanation for Boardman Township Trustee Robyn Gallitto's failure to win the approval of the Mahoning County Democratic Party's executive board for the vacant 33rd District state Senate seat: Her political instincts failed her.

Going into last Saturday's meeting of the Democratic Party elders, Gallitto certainly seemed to have one of the three inside tracks (the executive board submitted the names of three individuals to the Democratic caucus in the Senate) —  by virtue of her winning election in a major community in the county.

However, she stumbled — by submitting a letter of recommendation from county Prosecutor Paul Gains.

Did Gallitto forget (or choose to forget) that during the November general election, Democratic Party Chairwoman Lisa Antonini supported Gains' opponent, Marty Yavorcik, even though the prosecutor was the party's nominee? Did she also forget that Antonini hand-picked some of the members of the executive board, and still holds sway with a goodly number of precinct committeemen and women?

And, how could she have forgotten that Antonini has a close political relationship with shopping center magnate Anthony Cafaro, and that Cafaro and Gains locked horns during the Job and Family Services controversy?

Gallitto's political tin ear not only cost her a finalist slot in the 33rd District sweepstakes, but it has all but assured her an opponent next year should she run for re-election in Boardman.

The trustee is no doubt aware of a governing rule of Mahoning Valley politics: A friend of my enemy is my enemy.