Boardman Trustee Moliterno has earned residents’ support

When voters in Boardman Township approved the 3.85-mill, five-year additional police levy in August, we said passage was vindication for government officials. Residents had rejected the tax increase nine months earlier.

Trustees Larry Moliterno, Brad Calhoun and Thomas Costello put their political reputations on the line by seeking a second vote within a year — and it paid off.

Had the levy failed, the trustees would have borne the blame. That is why they are deserving of the credit.

And that brings us to the Nov. 8 general election in which Moliterno is seeking a second four-year term. He faces one challenger, Richard Scarsella, who has been active in community organizations and had previously run for Boardman school board.

Scarsella’s candidacy certainly warrants acknowledgement, but our endorsement definitely goes to Moliterno.

The president and chief executive officer of Meridian Community Care has earned a second term because of the leadership he has demonstrated and because he has a clear vision of Boardman’s future.

Indeed, his initiating the development of a five-year strategic plan is a recognition that township government cannot operate on a knee-jerk basis, given the financial challenges that Boardman faces.

Working together

Moliterno, Calhoun and Costello have been meeting with department heads with the aim of setting priorities. Government is most effective when all its parts are working in unison.

When he ran four years ago, the trustee said that one of his goals was to restore residents’ confidence in the public sector. The passage of the police levy is an indication that Boardmanites are beginning to respond positively to what is taking place.

The loss of about $2 million through cuts in the state’s local government fund and the commercial activity tax, as well as anticipated loss in revenue from the inheritance tax, is forcing Boardman to operate differently. The contracts the trustees have entered into with the labor unions reflect the decline in revenue.

In addition, the township is collaborating with surrounding communities to come up with cost saving measures, while lobbying state and local legislators to change the formula for local government funding.

Moliterno and his colleagues have caused somewhat of a stir in Mahoning County by suggesting that the township should get a percentage of the sales taxes collected because it has the largest concentration of retail outlets and, therefore, generates the most in taxes.

Scrutiny

This is an issue that deserves close scrutiny and an objective analysis before any decisions are made.

Scarsella, who says he is running because the township is at a crossroads and he has the experience and knowledge to guide it in the proper direction, was less than persuasive during a discussion of his candidacy.

Indeed, in his presentation to The Vindicator’s editorial board, the assistant to the principal of Chaney High School conceded he had sought appointment as Boardman’s representative on the ABC (Austintown, Boardman, Canfield) Water District and was disappointed that he was not chosen.

Asked if he would have run for trustee had he been appointed, he was unable to provide a definitive answer.

Such uncertainty gives us pause about the depth of his campaign.

Moliterno has amassed an impressive record in this first four years as trustee and is deserving of a second term. The Vindicator endorses his re-election on Nov. 8.