Trumbull, Mahoning Democratic parties vow to comply

New chiefs say state rules will be followed

With new chairmen in place, the Democratic parties in Mahoning and Trumbull counties will work during the first 100 days of their leaders' terms to comply with state laws and Ohio Democratic Party / Democratic National Committee rules.

Both parties were told last month by Bill DeMora, ODP secretary, that several provisions of their constitutions were in conflict with state statute and party rules, and they were ordered to immediately change them.

Since that time, Christopher Anderson was elected chairman of the Mahoning County Democratic Party while Mark Alberini defeated incumbent Dan Polivka to head the Trumbull Democrats.

Even before Alberini's victory, Trumbull Democratic officials said they were working to change the party's bylaws. But Mahoning Democratic officials were resistant.

Anderson and Alberini said getting into compliance is among their top priorities, and they plan to have their parties adopt changes before the first 100 days of their terms end.

"We're going to bring the bylaws into compliance and have a committee bring us recommendations for that to happen," Alberini said.

Anderson said he's created a modernization and steering committee with him and Youngstown Councilman Mike Ray, who planned to challenge Anderson for the party's chairmanship before withdrawing at the reorganization meeting, heading it.

"We'll be addressing the constitution and bylaws," Anderson said. "We'll definitely start the work immediately. That's one area we need to look at. We not only need to be in compliance, but there are other issues to update. My goal is to be able to bring about a vote within my first 100 days."

The committee likely will recommend changes not even suggested by DeMora, Anderson said.

"Whether there was a conflict with ODP or not, it was time to modernize the bylaws," he said. "We're going to overhaul and codify a lot of things. There are things that need to be tweaked."

That includes, Anderson said, creating a vice chair of women's affairs.

Anderson also created an engagement and organizing committee, headed by Jaladah Aslam, the party's vice chairwoman of labor relations.

"Their mandate is community organizing around the year and not just during election time," Anderson said. "They will be getting more involved with the community."

TRUMBULL BYLAWS

Regarding the Trumbull Democrats, DeMora said the local party last updated its bylaws in 2014 to be in compliance.

"We've had so many changes since 2014 and basically when you have contested races (for party officers) I look at the bylaws," he said. "It's tough to look at 88 county bylaws every year and make sure they're in compliance. They were fine back in 2014. But since then we've had two national conventions and we've had three state conventions and rules get changed."

Trumbull Democratic Party officials had been cooperating with the ODP on the latest constitutional changes.

It wasn't that way in 2014 when the local party clashed with the ODP over violations including secret paper ballots for elections. The state party temporarily suspended the county party in 2014 from using the ODP discount on campaign mail and have access to its electronic voter system.

After that, Trumbull Democrats complied.

VIOLATIONS DISCOVERED

During recent reviews of the constitutions of the two Democratic parties, DeMora found a number of issues that violated state law and ODP / DNC rules.

In a May 23 email to Trumbull Democratic Party officials, DeMora wrote he discovered "SEVERAL provisions of" the bylaws "that are in conflict with state statute and / or DNC / ODP rules (and) ARE NOT valid for the upcoming reorganization meeting and upon the creation of a new executive committee."

Among the state violations is a requirement for those running for the party's principal officers to gather at least 25 signatures from central committee members to seek election to those posts and having those principal officers -- chair, first vice chair and secretary -- appoint the party's treasurer.

While Alberini and Polivka each collected the 25 signatures, it wasn't required. With DeMora in attendance, the party permitted nominations from the floor, but no one stepped forward.

The party at its Tuesday meeting also elected Tom Shay as its treasurer. Shay was the only nominee and has served the past year as interim treasurer.

The Trumbull Democratic bylaws call for the election of eight other vice chairs by region. DeMora wrote the local party violates ODP and DNC rules by not clearly stating those officeholders must be equally divided between men and women.

Kathy DiCristofaro, the party's first vice chairwoman, said at Tuesday's meeting that those elections would occur at a later date "because it was very clear to us from the directive we got in the last two weeks that we are not following the updated rules and regulations with that. They have to be gender equal like the chair and the vice chair so we can elect four women and four men. They have to be more diverse. We have to rewrite our bylaws to be in compliance."

If the election for those vice chair positions was held Tuesday, DiCristofaro said, "We're not in compliance and it's not going to mean anything."

Other changes required by DeMora for Trumbull Democrats to follow ODP rules are eliminating the appointment of 40 at-large executive committee members by the party's principal officers and another 50 by the chairman.

DeMora also called for the party's entire section on endorsements to be rewritten including a voluntary $125 donation to be considered for an endorsement.

"Even though you state the $125 is 'voluntary,' common sense says that if someone doesn't pay it, it will be used against them," he wrote. "Same goes for the 'voluntary' payment for campaign activities."

In a May 27 email to Mahoning Democratic officials, DeMora said its requirement to get the signatures of at least five central committee members to run for party office and not permitting nominations from the floor are in violation of state law.

ODP and DNC violations, DeMora wrote, include permitting the chair to fill vacancies to the central committee "by decree. Any / all individuals to fill vacancies must receive a majority vote on the committee approving their appointment."

He also wrote that the party's rule that the chair appoint the executive committee is invalid and must be done by a majority vote of the central committee.

Anderson said the local party will comply with the DeMora directive.

ODP REACTION

DeMora said he is pleased that both parties are cooperating and he looks forward to working to bring them into compliance.

"I talked to Chris Anderson, and he's going to have new committees work on modernizing the bylaws," DeMora said. "I'm confident that will be accomplished and the (Mahoning Democratic) party will get out of the '60s and into the 21st century. Whatever help (Anderson) needs, I'm here and so is the state chairwoman. I'm looking forward to a new era in Mahoning County."

DeMora got into arguments dating back to 2008 with Kenneth Carano, who was the Mahoning Democratic Party's longtime parliamentarian and election chairman, about changing the bylaws.

Those issues continued with Carano recently saying: "We don't answer to the ODP. We work well with the ODP, but it's not who we answer to."

The county party's constitution states its members must support the ODP's constitution.

DeMora recently said: "Every party is a subsidiary of the state party. Regardless of what anyone in Mahoning County thinks, they are bound by state statutes and by the rules of the DNC and the Ohio Democratic Party."

At the Mahoning Democratic Party's June 4 reorganization meeting, Carano decided to step down as election chairman and parliamentarian. He is now a senior adviser to Anderson.

Anderson named Patrick Manning, an attorney, as the party's parliamentarian and plans to appoint someone else to be election chairman.

"He said he would move on," Anderson said of Carano. "It's not that I kicked him to the curb. It's time to invigorate our party with new blood."