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David Skolnick

Kale-Pesta left her mark on local elections, politics

The impact Joyce Kale-Pesta had on Mahoning County elections and politics was remarkable and will remain with us long after her recent death. I was fortunate to know Kale-Pesta for the past 25 years, covering politics in the Mahoning Valley. Long before I came to this area, Kale-Pesta served as secretary for the Mahoning County Democratic Party, starting in 1978 under Don Hanni Jr., its longtime chairman. Kale-Pesta was hired in December 1988 as a clerk at the county board of elections. When I started covering politics in September 2000, I first met Kale-Pesta at the county’s ...

Enthusiasm bubbles over for Ramaswamy and Walz

The biggest takeaway from the Mahoning County Republican Party Lincoln Day dinner, headlined by Vivek Ramaswamy, and the town hall with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is that this area is not lacking in political enthusiasm. This is the case even though the presidential election was five months ...

O’Neill faces daunting challenge in 14th District Congress race

Democrat Bill O’Neill, a former Ohio Supreme Court justice, faces an uphill battle next year when he challenges U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce for the 14th Congressional District seat. O’Neill, a Chagrin Falls Democrat, is no stranger to voters — particularly in this congressional district — as he’s been on the ballot for various elected offices in 1992, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2018. Joyce, a Bainbridge Republican, has established himself as one of the most successful politicians in Northeast Ohio. After six four-year terms as Geauga County prosecutor, Joyce ran ...

Political comeback for Sherrod?

Throughout his political career, Democrat Sherrod Brown has talked about the “dignity of work.” So it came as little surprise that Brown recently announced the creation of the Dignity of Work Institute, which will focus on empowering and growing the middle class. But Brown also is a career politician who spent 48 of the previous 50 years in elected office. He wanted to spend at least six more years, but lost in November to Republican Bernie Moreno for the Senate seat Brown held for the previous 18 years. While Brown wanted to talk Monday to the media about his new institute, ...

Tressel eager to tackle new job

Lieutenant governors in Ohio typically run a state agency in addition to being a close adviser to the governor because the actual responsibilities of the position are minimal. The Ohio Constitution states: “The lieutenant governor shall perform such duties in the executive department as are assigned to him by the governor and as are prescribed by law.” The state Constitution also reads: “In the case of the death, conviction on impeachment, resignation, or removal, of the governor, the lieutenant governor shall succeed to the office of governor.” So if the governor doesn’t ...

Many of DeWine’s budget plans won’t go anywhere

While this was the first State of the State address for Tex Fischer, R-Boardman, and David Thomas, R-Jefferson, as Ohio House members, the two said they knew what to expect from Gov. Mike DeWine. “The governor was going to emphasize education, workforce and career tech and try to sell for his budget plan,” Fischer said. “It’s part of the political process. He’s selling his budget.” But Fischer said he and other Republicans in the Ohio House remain unmoved on DeWine’s budget proposals to increase taxes on sports betting, cigarettes and adult recreational ...