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David Skolnick

Bad vibe from ‘secret’ meeting

A big deal was made during a June 8 news conference about a June 30 regional summit to discuss the best ways to spend the incredibly large amount of money the area is getting from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, or ARP. It turned out the meeting was closed to everyone but invited guests, which included big-wigs from business and charitable foundations. Why bother having a news conference to tout a private meeting? If you’re going to hold a closed-door meeting, it’s ridiculous to announce it. There is nothing illegal or improper about the meeting as long as a majority of ...

Politicians converge on Valley

One sure sign that the COVID-19 pandemic is practically behind us is the return of statewide politicians to the Mahoning Valley. Except for political fundraisers, the only statewide elected official to have news conferences in the area for about a year was Gov. Mike DeWine, and the topic of conversation was the pandemic. Life in the political world went in a different way. We had a presidential election during it, using Zoom meetings and conference calls to keep abreast of what was happening. But there’s something refreshing about seeing someone face to face and having a ...

Politicians converge on Valley

One sure sign that the COVID-19 pandemic is practically behind us is the return of statewide politicians to the Mahoning Valley. Except for political fundraisers, the only statewide elected official to have news conferences in the area for about a year was Gov. Mike DeWine, and the topic of conversation was the pandemic. Life in the political world went in a different way. We had a presidential election during it, using Zoom meetings and conference calls to keep abreast of what was happening. But there’s something refreshing about seeing someone face to face and having a ...

Householder vote questions remain

After a lengthy delay by Republicans, who control the Ohio House, the legislative body finally expelled former Speaker Larry Householder from its ranks. Months earlier, Speaker Bob Cupp, R-Lima, was asked numerous times why he didn’t move forward with the process. He repeatedly refused to give an explanation. Democrats, who are in the clear minority with only 35 of the 99 House members, pressured Republicans to move ahead with expulsion, and enough in the majority finally agreed. Householder is facing federal felony charges in a bribery scheme to bail out the state’s two ...

Justice race to be fascinating

Next year’s election for Ohio Supreme Court chief justice should be among the most interesting judicial races in some time. Three current justices are planning to run for the court’s top spot, coinciding with an expected change in law to now include party affiliation. Jennifer Brunner, whose first term on the court began in January, recently announced she would seek the Democratic Party’s nomination for chief justice. That should clear the Democratic field as Brunner is too strong a candidate to face a legitimate challenge from someone in her party. At the same time, ...

Commuter taxes about to change

Communities, such as Warren and Youngstown, that depend on commuters paying income tax to fund government are in for a rude awakening. The Ohio House approved a bill two weeks ago that no longer would permit cities and villages to collect those taxes from people who used to work in those communities but now work from their homes. The bill is retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year. Those who worked from home in communities without income taxes could seek refunds from the city where they used to work for all of 2021 and then into the future if they don’t return to their places of ...