STRUTHERS — The two mayoral candidates — Democrat Catherine Cercone Miller and former longtime Councilman Robert D. Carcelli, running as an independent — say a vote for the other would damage the city.

“As a resident, it concerns me if he was elected mayor,” Cercone Miller, 36, said about Carcelli. “He talks about how things were when he was around. There’s too much that needs to change, and we need fresh ideas with grants and technology. If we put someone who wants to go back to the old ways, we won’t move forward.”

Carcelli, 70, said Cercone Miller is too inexperienced to be mayor.

“We’re not running for prom king and queen,” Carcelli said. “I’m running for mayor because our city is in trouble. I have the proven experience. My opponent has never served one day on city council and doesn’t know anything about the budget. It’s a popularity contest with her.”

The seat is being vacated by Terry Stocker, who’s finishing his 12th year as mayor. He chose not to seek re-election.

Cercone Miller of Brandon Avenue has worked as the city prosecutor’s secretary since July 2014. Before that, she worked for about five years at St. Michael’s Harbour in Hermitage, Pa., a nonprofit organization that assists adults with autism, primarily as its development coordinator. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Capital University in Columbus in psychology and art therapy, and is a Struthers High School graduate.

This is her first time running for elected office. She defeated Councilman Michael Patrick, D-at Large, in the Democratic primary, receiving 71 percent of the vote.

Carcelli of Edison Street is retired from the Laborers International Union of North America Local 125 as secretary / treasurer and field representative. The Struthers High School graduate was first elected as a 2nd Ward councilman in 1973, serving six years. He was elected in the mid-1980s as a councilman-at-Large, serving for 16 years. During those 22 years, he served as chairman of council’s finance and legislative committee. He also was elected council president in 2003, losing re-election two years later. He ran as a Democrat for 2nd Ward and at-Large and as an independent for council president.

Carcelli said he would have run in the Democratic primary, but had hip replacement surgery earlier this year and “there was no way I was going to be able to campaign and recuperate. But it’s not about political parties. It’s about who can best run Struthers.”

If elected, Carcelli said he wants to remove blight from neighborhoods by cleaning up vacant properties and upgrade enforcement laws, as well as bring jobs back to Struthers by developing the city’s empty industrial and commercial properties.

“We need someone who’s served on council, knows what the budget is and how to run the city,” he said. “We need jobs back in the town to strengthen our tax base, our city and our school system. This is about my experience vs. her experience. This election is about someone who has to face tough decisions and has the experience.”

Cercone Miller said she is very familiar with the workings of several city departments.

If elected, she wants to improve the relationship between the city and the school district, work on eliminating blight and bring businesses back to the city, as well as help those currently located here.

“There’s so much going on with technology that we should be utilizing now,” she said. “Having a fresher, newer look is a good idea. I’m very active when it comes to grant writing. We can’t go backwards. This is a very crucial time for our city.”

Cercone Miller said she recently wrote a successful grant for $30,000 for Struthers Municipal Court to supplement court security.

She’s also involved in several community boards and organizations, and coached girls basketball teams in the city school district.