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NILES -- Michael Lastic, Jimmy Julian and Doug Sollitto were the top three vote-getters in Tuesday's Democratic primary for Niles council at-Large seats, according to unofficial election results from the Trumbull County Board of Elections.
These three will face Andrew Cvetkovich in the November general election, as long as the board of elections certifies his petition, which he filed by Monday's deadline. According to his online resume, he is an account manager at Thomas Steel Strip Corp.
Of the votes cast, Lastic earned 23.56 percent, Julian earned 22,13 percent, Sollitto earned 21.51 percent, Linda Marchese earned 19.65 percent and Lori Vlosich Hudzik earned 13.15 percent.
"I just thank the Niles voters. I appreciate the support they've given me in the past and I really support it this time around. I will continue to work hard for all the voters of Niles. I appreciate all the candidates who came out. It's not an easy job," Lastic said.
Lastic said he thinks he came out on top in part because he was endorsed by the Niles Democrat Club and the AFL-CIO labor union. He also said that between his years in the school system and the events he goes to as part of council, he has spent a lot of time out in the community.
Julian and Lastic were the two incumbents running to keep their seats. Sollitto is the sitting 1st Ward councilman and Marchese is the current 3rd Ward councilwoman. Hudzik is an insurance agent and former Niles schools treasurer.
"I'm just humbled by the support of the community. I want to continue moving this city forward while focusing on infrastructure, keeping our safety forces fully equip and making our city more business and family friendly so people want to move here," Julian said.
Todd Weddell won the race for 1st Ward and will face Tina Collins, a Republican, in November.
Weddell earned 59.52 percent and Judee DeChristefero-March earned 40.48 percent.
"It feels pretty terrific," Weddell said of his win. "I worked pretty hard at it and I had a lot of people help me along the way. It's gratifying to know that the work paid off."
Weddell said he thinks he won because he spent a lot of face-to-face time with voters and has a good background to serve on council.
He said he plans to take a bit of a break before focusing on the general election race, but said he plans on doing a lot of the same things in that campaign.
Lastic, 79, has served on council since 1999. He was the 2nd Ward councilman from 1999 to 2002, and has been an at-Large councilman since.
During the campaign, he said he thinks his experience is valuable. Lastic recalled the hard times the city went through when it was under financial emergency, and said council should keep the city's finances at front-of-mind when making decisions.
Lastic promised to help build up the city's safety forces by providing them with the newest and best technology, when financially feasible, and promised to help bring new business to Niles' downtown.
Julian, 30, is in the middle of his first full term on council. He was appointed in March 2021 when Ryan McNaughton left and then went on to win re-election later that year.
He ran on a message of moving the city forward by ensuring the safety forces are properly equipped, attacking neighborhood blight, spending tax dollars wisely and making the city a family-friendly place to live.
As a younger member of council, Julian said during the campaign that he thinks he brings a fresh perspective to city government and wants to help the city be welcoming for young people. He said Niles has an aging population and it needs to find a way to bring in younger families.
After having served three-and-a-half years as council's 1st Ward member, Sollitto, 57, decided to try for an at-Large seat. He previously said he decided to make the switch because he already works a lot in other wards. Sollitto said he is always available for any citizen.
Sollitto said during the campaign that the point of council is to look at, and ask questions of every decision of the administration.
"The voters showed up an supported me like they have in the past," Sollitto said. "I think we will start moving in the right direction."
He has been a loud advocate on council to change the procedure for citizens to get into the city building. Sollitto has said he would be supportive of adding a security guard or police officer to patrol the building, but the doors should be unlocked.
Since being on council, Sollitto said he's proud of the road paving and park improvements. As a member of the public grounds committee, Sollitto said he helped get the first restroom in place at Kennedy Park.
Marchese, 71, has served on council as the 3rd Ward representative since 2014. Her current term will end at the end of the year. Aaron Johnstone has filed as a Democrat and Amy Jo Giovannone has filed as an independent candidate for the ward.
Hudzik, 56, said previously that she decided to jump into the race because she is not happy with the direction the city is going, and how it looks.