Youngstown voters see crowded ward races

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Youngstown voters see crowded ward races
Story by JOE GORMAN in the Warren Tribune Chronicleon 4/30/07.

YOUNGSTOWN — There are five contested races for City Council in Youngstown's seven wards in next week's Democratic primary, but almost all the candidates agree crime is the No. 1 problem in their wards and the city.

First Ward

One of the candidates vying to replace Artis Gillam, D-1st ward, who cannot run due to term limits, is his wife, Annie, a retired worker from Delphi Packard Electric. She said she is running for council because she wants to see the progress in her ward — which includes the downtown — continue. She pointed to new businesses downtown and other parts of her ward and a decrease in the crime rate.

But the 61-year-old Gillam said there is still too much crime in her ward, and one of her top priorities is to meet with neighborhood convenience stores that some say fuel that crime because of the easy access to alcohol they provide. Several were also raided for taking part in what authorities say was a fencing operation.

Other priorities in her ward include street paving and working on creating more jobs.

''I plan to be busy,'' she said.

Opposing Gillam is Board of Education Chairman Michael Write, 55, who works for the Needle's Eye counseling center. Write said safety and employment are the two biggest issues in the ward. He said he will support Mayor Jay Williams' crackdown on crime that began earlier this year with periodic saturation patrols in the wake of a quadruple homicide in January.

He said the patrols are a success, and he wants to find ways to help the Police Department increase its manpower.

''That has brought lawlessness to a screeching halt,'' Write said of the patrols.

Write also said he wants to increase block watches in the ward and wants the city to increase its partnership with them.

''It's time to look at things differently,'' he said.



Second Ward

In the second ward, three candidates are looking to replace Democrat Rufus Hudson, also banned from running by term limits. DeMaine Kitchen, 29, who works for a financial group, said crime is the ''No. 1 issue'' in the ward. He said crime has multiple effects because it scares away potential businesses and residents, which leads to a decrease in taxes.

Kitchen also said he wants to support Williams' idea of forming Joint Economic Development Districts with the townships around the city. The city also needs to find a way to keep the residents it has, Kitchen said. He said his two young daughters are helping him shape his vision for the city.

''I want Youngstown to be a first choice and not a last resort for them,'' Kitchen said.

Jacqueline Adair, 61, who works at McGuffey Center, said crime is the reason she is running for council. She said her Kenneth Street portion of the East Side had been relatively safe until a shooting last year.

''We have been basically removed from the violence all around the city, and it caught up with us,'' she said. ''If you don't like what government is doing, you need to get in the game.''

Adair said she also wants to crack down on violators of the city's housing code, and she is also concerned about local convenience stores, especially the ones that were caught up in the fencing operation.

''We've got to get those stores out of the neighborhood,'' Adair said.

A third candidate, George Mauzy, has an unlisted phone number and could not be reached for comment.



Fifth Ward

In the Fifth Ward, former Mahoning County Commissioner John Palermo is facing off against 29-year-old Paul Drennen. Incumbent Michael Rapovy cannot seek reelection due to term limits.

Palermo, who was a commissioner for 24 years and also a city police officer for six years, said the biggest issues in his ward are housing concerns, demolition of vacant houses and police response. Citizens in the Cornersburg part of the ward are concerned with crime as well after a spate of robberies in local businesses last year, Palermo said.

''People are concerned about response time and safety in the streets,'' Palermo said.

Palermo said his experience and the fact he is retired will help him because he can devote himself full time to the residents in his ward.

''I have a good feel for government,'' Palermo said. ''I'm not attempting to start a career.''

Drennen said he wants to get rid of parochial feelings in the ward that may come because it is split in two by Mill Creek Park. He said he is also concerned with crime and wants to get more neighborhood watches organized in the ward. He also has what he says is a ''48-hour rule'' where all constituent calls are returned within 48 hours and followed up within a week.

Drennen also said he wants to get better incentives to encourage businesses to locate in the ward and the city. He said the city needs new leadership and new ideas, and he will not be afraid to stand up for what is needed, even if it is unpopular.

''I'm not afraid to put myself on the line for that,'' Drennen said.



Sixth Ward

In the Sixth Ward, incumbent Paul Pancoe is looking to win his first full term after replacing former Councilman Clarence Boles in October of 2004.

Pancoe said crime and blight are the two biggest issues in his ward, and he said there have been 200 vacant properties demolished since he has been on council and another 200 to 300 also need to be knocked down. The 51-year-old electrician said he wants to keep the lines of communication open between the residents of the ward and the administration.

Making sure the county jail is funded is also top priority, Pancoe said. With the jail fully funded, he said, ''I think you'll see the crime rate down.''

Janet Tarpley, 41, director of the Parent Project, said her number one priority is to have a ''mobile police substation,'' where police can set up shop in a high crime neighborhood and then take that shop on the road to another part of the ward or city where there is a crime problem.

Tarpley also said she wants a return to community policing and is also concerned about economic development and blight in her ward.



Seventh Ward

In the Seventh Ward, incumbent Mark Memmer is battling former councilman John Swierz. Memmer, 46, who is retired, and seeking his second term, said he wants the positive changes in the city that have occurred since he came on council continue.

He also thinks JEDDs and water service are big priorities for the city, as well as funding Williams' expanded demolition. Memmer said before Williams was mayor, the city budgeted only $200,000 for demolition but spent $1.25 million in 2006 and has another $1.5 million budgeted for 2007.

''This council is very supportive of funding that department,'' Memmer said.

Swierz, who served on council for six and a half years before spending a year and a half as President of Council and losing his reelection bid for that seat and a bid for mayor in 2005, said he knows how government operates. He pledged to get back to constituents in a timely manner, something he said is a concern on the campaign trail.

He said crime is the biggest issue in the ward because it is causing residents and businesses to move. He said the city has to change its mindset and look at stopping smaller crimes because they turn into larger ones.

''The more we let them go the more they become bigger crimes,'' Swierz said.



Other wards

Races in the Third and Fourth wards are uncontested. Board of Education member Jamael Tito Brown is running unopposed in the third ward and will take the place of incumbent Richard Atkinson, R-3rd Ward, who cannot run for reelection because of term limits.

In the Fourth Ward, incumbent Carol Rimedio-Righetti is unopposed for a second term.

No Republicans have filed to run in their party's primary.



jgorman@tribune-chronicle.com