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David Skolnick

Plea deals smart move for all

The latest chapter in a voluminous collection of books on political corruption in the Mahoning Valley will be written Sept. 3 when a judge sentences ex-Youngstown Finance Director David Bozanich and downtown developer Dominic Marchionda. The two took plea deals late last week to avoid trials on much more serious charges. It was a smart move for all involved. Prosecutors got both to plead to felony convictions, which is always a goal. Marchionda and Bozanich avoided trials, and the deals they took are significantly reduced from the numerous felonies they faced, which included ...

Presidential race tightens

We’ve got a competitive presidential race in Ohio — and that can’t be good news for President Donald Trump, who would be in serious jeopardy of losing re-election if he can’t capture this state in November. The election is less than three months away, and the COVID-19 pandemic will make it the most unusual election many of us ever experienced, leaving everything up in the air. But current indicators must be concerning for Trump. Polls show Democrat Joe Biden very competitive in Ohio and prepared to spend a lot of money. Ohio has been a longtime swing state, but you ...

Ryan rebounds in fundraising

Raising money for elected office really hasn’t been U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan’s thing. Some politicians have no problem asking for money while others just aren’t that good at it. Ryan, D-Howland, hasn’t really needed to raise a lot of money over the years as he’s rarely had serious competition for his seat since he first won it in 2002. During his ill-conceived presidential bid, Ryan’s inexperience with raising money was highlighted. When he was an active candidate, he raised the second-least amount of money among those seeking the Democratic nomination. He even collected ...

Valley corruption seems puny

One lesson I’ve learned covering politics is when something leaves you wondering why, follow the money. That’s what federal prosecutors did in uncovering what they said could be the largest public bribery scheme in Ohio history. When the state Legislature chose last year to bail out two failing nuclear power plants with $1.3 billion coming from ratepayers while ending requirements that utility companies use more wind and solar, it made little sense. Some legislators told me they supported it to save jobs at two nuclear plants, but that was a flimsy argument because it cost ...

Cheerleading won’t save Ohioans

Those who were expecting Gov. Mike DeWine to make a major pronouncement — such as mandatory face masks or rolling back some of the business reopenings — as Ohio faces record numbers of COVID-19 cases were likely disappointed at his pep talk Wednesday, urging people to be careful. But with pressure from members of DeWine’s own Republican Party who don’t want any more restrictions — some believing the pandemic is a hoax or an exaggeration — and business owners who don’t want to shut down or scale back, the contents of his speech, little more than a plea for Ohioans to make ...

My brief time in the jury pool

I’ve long wanted to serve on a jury, and the idea of being part of secret grand jury proceedings is even more intriguing. But to do it during a health crisis didn’t sound good. So when a letter arrived in late May stating I was chosen for grand jury selection with the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court — the first new grand jury since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — I wasn’t thrilled. About a week later, a sheriff’s deputy came to my door — without a mask and seemingly oblivious to social distancing — with a summons ordering that I appear as a possible grand ...