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WARREN -- Community activist Pierson "Butch" Butcher says providing service has come naturally over the last several years.
A retired General Motors fabrication plant worker, Butcher, 72, has lived in Warren since getting a job at the auto plant in 1970.
He is one of two candidates hoping to win the Democratic nomination to replace 5th Ward Councilman Ken MacPherson, who is seeking one of three at-Large council seats.
Of the council's ward seats with contested races, the 5th Ward is the only one with candidates who have not served in elected positions.
Ashley Miner, 35, 2634 Burton St., is seeking the Democratic nomination with hopes of improving conditions in the city.
A mother of four, Miner said she decided to run for council because she wants to make Warren better for her children and other young people coming behind her.
"I've grown up in Warren," she said. "I've seen Warren as it used to be, and I see how it is now."
Miner said people driving on U.S. Route 422 into Warren from Niles today primarily see rehabilitation centers, run-down homes and vacant lots.
"When I was growing up there were jobs," she said. "I know we can make it (the city) better and build on it. Residents I've spoken to wish the city was back to the way it was."
She would like to see more oversight of the rehabilitation centers.
"Most of them are party places," she said. "There are people who want to help, but I've witnessed firsthand people getting high in the parking lot of the centers. They need better monitoring."
Miner decided to run for a council seat this year after being told by MacPherson that he decided to seek one of the at-Large seats.
"He was encouraging," Miner said. "However, in the end, it is my decision to run."
The primary election is May 4. The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Robert Marchese, who formerly served as city council president.
CRIMINAL BACKGROUNDS
Both Miner and Butcher, as well as Marchese, have criminal charges in their background. Butcher was charged with animal cruelty in September and pleaded guilty to the charge Feb. 1. He was fined $100 plus court costs, which he paid that same day, according to Warren Municipal Court records.
According to a police report from the incident, officers went to his house around noon July 19, where an officer observed a striped cat in a cage sitting in the driveway. The cat was panting and in obvious distress, the police report states.
Although the temperature was about 88 degrees, the air temperature felt like 98 and the temperature on the blacktop felt like 125 degrees, the officer wrote.
The cat had been outside for at least 24 hours, according to the report. Butcher described the cat as a stray, and his intention was to take it to the Animal Welfare League to be cared for by professionals. He was trying to save the cat's life, Butcher told officers.
After not being able to get either the Trumbull County Animal Welfare League or the city's dog warden to pick up the cat, officers called the fire department to pick up the cat and deliver it to Countryside Vet Clinic in Howland for treatment.
On his candidate questionnaire for the Tribune Chronicle, Butcher wrote "no" next to the question, "Have you ever been charged with a crime?"
Miner acknowledged on her questionnaire and in her endorsement interview that she was charged with aggravated arson in 2006. However, a grand jury refused to indict her and the case was dismissed, court records show.
In June of 2015, Marchese was charged with misuse of a credit card, a felony, in Warren Municipal Court after he was accused of illegally using a credit card issued to his deceased wife.
According to a police report, Fifth Third Bank in Cincinnati reported to Warren police on June 23 that Marchese opened a credit card account in his deceased wife's name and made several purchases. The report states the activity happened between November 2013 and February 2015.
Marchese's wife, Claranne Marchese, died in March 2013.
The charge was amended to a misdemeanor and Marchese pleaded no contest, Warren Muncipal Court records show.
VOLUNTEERING
Butcher, 1566 Hazelwood Ave. SE, previously sought, but failed, in 2017 to be appointed 4th Ward councilman by precinct committee representatives after former Councilman James Bluedorn moved from Ohio due to a job change.
Butcher was removed from consideration for the seat because there were questions about whether he actually lived in the ward. Mark Forte was selected to fill the seat.
In 2012, Butcher began voluntarily cutting grass and removing debris in neighborhoods around his ward. He also volunteered with Warren Neighborhood Initiative and Community Concerned Citizens II in the rehabilitation of the Quinby Park Shelter House in 2017.
Butcher has been working as a vendor to cut grass around the city for the last two years.
In 2014, the Tribune Chronicle named him as one of 10 Community Stars for his volunteer efforts.
Prior to city council deciding primarily to end in-person meetings due to the coronavirus pandemic, Butcher used the three-minute public speaking section of meetings to address issues he feels are important to his ward or to the city in general.
Miner is not active with community organizations.
"If I'm doing something, I'd rather just go out and do it," she said. "I'm not going out there looking for recognition."
STIMULUS FUNDS
Miner said she would like to see the city use some of its stimulus funds to rehabilitate the Downtown Motor Inn, 777 Mahoning Ave., rather than see it demolished.
"There are so many homeless in the area," Miner said. "Why can't it be used as a shelter for the homeless or a center for veterans?"
Miner said she met with representatives of several community organizations about partnering to find other uses for Downtown Motor Inn rather than tearing it down.
"People are afraid of taking it on," she said. "It would be more of an issue than tearing it down. However, if the land is made into a vacant lot, it is not going to add value. It is not going to be of any use."
OTHER ISSUES
Butcher particularly is concerned about the use of aggregate to address slippery road conditions after snowfalls. He argues the use of aggregate is not cost effective, damages roads and cars, and presents a danger to the city's sewers.
"The city began using brine, then it came up with a combination of aggregate and salt," Butcher said. "It costs the city a lot of money for the removal of aggregate."
"The city should just use salt," he said. "Winters are not so bad."
Miner expressed concerns about finding ways to improve police and community relations.
"I value the police department," she said. "There has to be ways to have healthier dialogue between police and the community. There needs to be more officers in neighborhoods, making our neighborhoods safer."
She said she does not believe the city should use its stimulus funds to purchase new police cruisers or three new firetrucks.
"The city just purchased cruisers a few years ago," she said. "How many are needed?"
Miner said she supports the idea of purchasing one new firetruck, but not three.
While wanting officers to have body cameras, Miner emphasized the city should not overpay for them, and try to get them at cost.
Butcher said he would like to increase efforts to remove blight through organized volunteer efforts and the removal of abandoned houses.
"We can get Boy Scout troops' help with cleanups," he said. "The Scouts can earn merit badges for picking up sticks."
Knowing that grass will begin growing over the next few months, Butcher would like to see the city more aggressively cite property owners who do not maintain their properties.
"We've got to get to the high grass quicker," Butcher said. "In a few months, the grasses will be too high."
City council and the administration should work to find ways to remove abandoned buildings at a faster rate, according to Butcher.
"I turned over (the location) of an abandoned home to the city two years ago," he said. "It is still up and raccoons and other animals are going through it."
Butcher described often talking to the heads of the city's building and health departments about issues that concern him. "They should take down the homes that can't be rehabilitated," he said.