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David Skolnick

Trump, Vance advance lies

Springfield is similar to Youngstown and Warren. They’re Rust Belt cities in Ohio that have experienced major declines in population over the last 60 years as the industries and businesses that once helped them thrive left. Despite best efforts and some improvements — such as focusing on rebuilding downtowns and seeking to attract new businesses – the cities still struggle. Springfield saw its population start to increase in 2017 when Haitian immigrants began legally relocating there to get a fresh start and employment after the city attracted some new businesses in need of ...

Harris may help Mahoning Valley Democrats this election

Before Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden as the presidential nominee, Mahoning Valley Democrats were rightfully concerned that the incumbent at the top of the ticket would drag down the rest of the party’s candidates on the Nov. 5 ballot. Biden’s disastrous June 27 debate performance left Democrats, who were unenthusiastic about him before that, in a position where they knew if he remained the presidential candidate that he would definitely hurt other candidates by his mere presence. Harris has infused energy into the party that it never would have experienced had Biden remained ...

Ballot drop boxes targeted again

After a federal judge ruled a state law violated the voting rights of those with disabilities, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose again went after ballot drop boxes outside county boards of elections. LaRose, a Republican, issued a directive to county boards of elections requiring them to get signatures on attestations from those dropping off ballots for others in response to the federal decision that the state violated the Voting Rights Act by restricting who could return absentee ballots for those with disabilities. That means that a person who under state law is permitted to put ...

Will state rep stay on ballot?

With the Mahoning County Board of Elections deadlocked at 2-2 on the eligibility of state Rep. Tex Fischer, R-Boardman, to the Nov. 5 ballot, the tie will be broken by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. The only time frame I received from LaRose’s office on breaking the tie is it will be sooner rather than later. I expect LaRose, a Republican, to side with the board’s two GOP members and keep Fischer on the ballot as there appears to be enough of a gray area on the matter, but you never know. If LaRose sides with the Democratic board members, who decided Fischer isn’t ...

DAVID SKOLNICK: Ohio’s redistricting map issue on ballot draws ire

The existing redistricting system — approved by voters in 2015 and 2018 — isn’t very effective and needs changes. That’s the opinion of Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican and member of the Ohio Redistricting Commission, as well as plenty of Democrats. The commission drew state ...

Kamala Harris buys ad time in Valley

The presidential campaign of Democrat Kamala Harris is spending $90 million over the next three weeks airing commercials in battleground areas as well as Youngstown and Toledo even though the vice president has essentially no chance of beating Republican Donald Trump in Ohio. The Harris campaign said the “$90 million paid media buy will target voters in every battleground state and expand the campaign’s reach into markets like Marquette, Alpena (both in Michigan), Toledo, Erie and Youngstown — markets where the Trump campaign is ceding the airwaves as their candidate spends this ...