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State and local politicians of all stripes owe a debt of gratitude to President Donald Trump.
I know that sounds strange, given the Trump administration's ongoing war in Iran and the president's plummeting approval numbers -- both overall and on key individual issues -- with November's midterms less than three months away.
But hear me out. The on-again, off-again war, Trump's almost-daily tirades and long-winded, self-aggrandizing press conferences have successfully distracted some people from what their state and local representatives are -- or aren't -- doing.
Need proof? This newspaper's letters to the editor and Sound Off submissions are often mostly Trump-related and most are not in praise of what he and his administration are doing.
That's understandable, given that Trump promised major changes from what America experienced during Joe Biden's four years in office -- starting on Day 1 of his second term.
Lower inflation, lower prices on gas and food and -- perhaps most famously -- a new golden age in America were on the way. Trump's hyperbole aside, I doubt many of us expected the latter, but a lot of people were really counting on those other promises. Affordability suddenly isn't just a political buzzword in America.
Instead, the administration tells us every few days that gas prices will fall because a deal with Iran is near. But that country's disdain for America and peace talks in general suggest otherwise. Trump's book was called "The Art of the Deal," but he seems to have lost a lot off his fastball in that regard.
So, Trump's second term hasn't lived up to the expectations of those who viewed returning him to office as the better option than Kamala Harris and that has served his critics well.
But is being so laser-focused on Trump and what he's doing and saying good for Americans? Maybe not. As the chief recipient of opinion submissions for this newspaper, I can tell you that some of our friends and neighbors seldom turn their eyes and ears away from the White House. They rail against Trump -- and occasionally at the local and state representatives and senators who support his administration -- but in doing so, they might just be ignoring things that are happening in their own backyards.
Think about how badly a local politician has to be to get noticed these days. For the better part of 2026, one of the worst elected officials in the Valley -- Mahoning County Clerk of Courts Michael Ciccone -- mostly flew under the radar despite firing deputy Jennifer Ciccone (no relation) 10 months ago, which led to ugly revelations about his personal and professional life.
It was so bad that the Hatfields and McCoys, er, Mahoning County Democrats and Republicans, actually agreed on something -- that Michael Ciccone had to go. Both parties called for him to resign, but the embattled clerk of courts refused.
Then, for about nine months, crickets. There was brief talk of a petition to remove Michael Ciccone last fall, then nothing until July, when more allegations of incompetent and unprofessional behavior surfaced. But I can count on one hand the number of readers who've called for Ciccone to be sacked since his foibles came to light.
It's almost as if they don't care, because their eyes are on the orange-tinted prize at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
But Michael Ciccone wasn't the only less-than-stellar candidate who rode Trump's coattails to victory in the Valley almost two years ago. He had plenty of company, but those folks disappeared from local radar after taking office. The primary reason might be that unlike Trump, they don't actively court controversy or make themselves a political target.
That is, until and unless their job performances or scandals become issues too big to ignore.
But even then, it will probably take one heck of a personal or political implosion to distract some folks from all things Trump. It almost makes you wonder what they'll do when he shuffles back to Mar-a-Lago for good.
Reach Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator Editor Ed Puskas at epuskas@tribtoday.com or by calling 330-841-1786.