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Election storylines emerge

While the May 4 primary in Mahoning and Trumbull counties doesn’t have many contested races, there are a number of interesting items to consider.

• Newton Falls is always a good place for political entertainment.

In the November election for the Falls village council’s 3rd Ward seat, Tesa Spletzer beat incumbent Lyle Waddell, who is also a former mayor, 2 to 1.

Waddell couldn’t face losing, so he took Spletzer to court contending the election should have taken place in 2021 and not 2020 — despite Joseph Fritz, the village’s law director, interpreting the charter before the election as requiring it be held last year.

The issue held up Spletzer starting her term by a month and Waddell still hasn’t dropped the lawsuit.

Yet when it came time to file for the seat earlier this week — the appointment was to fill an unexpired term for only a year — Spletzer filed for re-election, but Waddell didn’t turn in nominating petitions.

Why continue his lawsuit when he isn’t going to seek the seat in this election?

• While Republicans are fielding three candidates for council seats in Warren, the party couldn’t get anyone to file in Niles, Girard or Hubbard.

Those have long been Democratic strongholds, but Republican Donald Trump beat President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in Girard and Hubbard in the last election and nearly won Niles.

Voters in those three communities showed a few months ago that they are willing to vote Republican, but the party was unable to capitalize on that with the municipal elections there.

Meanwhile, Biden crushed Trump in Warren, and that’s where Republicans were able to find candidates.

Trump also beat Biden in Struthers a few months ago. The city has been Democratic for decades.

After Trump’s win in Struthers, Mahoning County Republican Chairman Thomas McCabe told me the party would look to find candidates for this year’s city council races.

Yet David Shaffer was the only Republican to submit petitions. He’s running for the 3rd Ward seat. Shaffer ran in 2016 for county clerk of courts against longtime incumbent Democrat Anthony Vivo. Shaffer got 34.55 percent of the vote.

• Finally, a word about school districts that put tax issues on the primary election ballot in places that don’t have anything else in front of voters: It’s poor form.

The school districts in Sebring, Liberty and Champion are seeking approval of tax issues May 4 with Liberty asking for additional money and Sebring and Champion requesting renewals.

There’s nothing else on the ballot in those school districts and turnout is likely to be extremely low.

Rather than attempt to sneak something by voters, these districts should re-evaluate and put their tax issues on the November ballot when there are candidates in their communities seeking office.

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