By Vindicator Newsroom

March 5, 2008

YOUNGSTOWN — It was the night of the Democratic incumbents in Mahoning County government as the county commissioners, treasurer and prosecutor all coasted to easy victories, outscoring their opponents by margins of 2 to 1 or better.
Prosecutor Paul Gains, seeking his fourth term in office, defeated Heidi Hanni, but Hanni said her involvement in the race isn’t over yet.
“I’m going to put my whole campaign behind Marty Yavorcik,” Hanni said late Tuesday.
Yavorcik, a Boardman attorney, has filed to run against Gains as an independent in the fall.
“We need to get Paul Gains out of there,” Hanni said.
Gains said he finished the primary “about where I expected to be,” adding that he is obviously pleased with the results and the voters’ confidence in his ability to do the job.
Commissioner John McNally IV handily defeated challenger Mary Lyden, but he also faces opposition in the fall, both from an independent and a Republican candidate.
“I think I’ve been succcessful the past three years, and the voters understand my positions,” McNally said.