YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown City Councilman Mike Ray says he will run for Mahoning County Democratic Party chairman while Christopher Anderson, who’s already filed paperwork for the seat, lined up another nine endorsements, including two of Ray’s fellow city council members.

Youngstown Councilman Julius Oliver, D-1st Ward, and Councilwoman Samantha Turner, D-3rd Ward, are among those who Anderson listed Thursday on a new batch of endorsements.

They also include Chuck Altiero, the party’s vice chairman of labor relations; Boardman Township Trustee Larry Moliterno; Bruce Neff, a Canfield city councilman and state House candidate; Jackson Township trustees Tom Frost and John Jakubec; Campbell Councilman Tim O’Bryan; and Mike Thompson, Poland village council president.

The support, Anderson said, comes from elected officials “representing both urban and rural geographies.”

“We know that a crucial part of building our bench is investing in down-ballot races. The trustee of today is the state rep of tomorrow,” he said.

Candidates seeking election to Mahoning Democratic Party officer positions have to submit a signed letter of intent and the signatures of at least five central committee members by noon Tuesday to Kenneth Carano, the party’s election chairman. The party is meeting June 4 at the St. Luke Banquet Hall in Boardman to elect officers.

Anderson has filed his letter.

Ray, the party’s first vice chairman and a state central committeeman, said last week he was “still considering running.”

He was more definitive Thursday.

“My intention is to file my paperwork by the due date,” said Ray, D-4th Ward. “Regardless of the outcome of June 4, I’ve always been a loyal Democrat, and I will work to get Democrats elected and re-elected.”

Anderson, president of the Ohio Young Democrats and a former county party political director, said, “I’ve always been prepared for there to be competition. I’m very confident in the work me and my team have done. I’ve been a loyal Democrat getting Democrats elected to office. I’ve done it my entire adult life. I’ve gotten Democrats elected and helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for Democrats.”

Anderson announced 18 endorsements last week, including Mahoning Democratic Chairwoman Joyce Kale-Pesta; county Commissioner Anthony Traficanti; former Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper; David Betras and Mike Morley, former county Democratic chairmen; Ohio Young Black Democrats President Jordan Hawkins, who is also the Ohio House Democratic Caucus’ executive director; and Jaladah Aslam, president of the Youngstown Warren Black Caucus.

“I’m uniquely suited to be chair,” Anderson said Thursday. “I’ve got the experience. I lead one of the largest youth party organizations in the county,” the Ohio Young Democrats.

Kale-Pesta, chairwoman since May 2019, submitted paperwork to run for first vice chairwoman, a position she held before Betras resigned as the party’s leader and she succeeded him.

Others filing for offices are Kathryn Miller for secretary and Richard Clautti for treasurer, Carano said. Both currently hold those party offices.

As of Thursday, no one has filed for the two other positions: vice chairman of labor relations, held by Altiero, who endorsed Anderson; and vice chairman of minority affairs, currently held by Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown.

The party’s constitution requirement of signatures from at least five central committee members to be nominated is likely a violation of state law based on what Bill DeMora, Ohio Democratic Party secretary, said earlier this week about a Trumbull County Democratic Party requirement to get at least 25 signatures for those seeking that party’s three principal offices: chair, first vice chair and secretary.

DeMora wrote in a Monday email that a Trumbull Democratic constitutional provision requiring signatures for principal officers “is NULL and VOID as the election of central committee officers is written in the statute and there is nothing in the statute that says you can limit or restrict the ability of anyone who wishes to be an officer.”

DeMora added in an interview that “you can’t add barriers to nominate. You can be nominated from the floor.”

The Mahoning Democratic constitution doesn’t permit nominations from the floor.

Asked about DeMora’s statements on the signature requirement, Carano said, “That’s bull.”

“If he says that and it’s true, he’s going to have to prove it to me,” he said. “I’ve been the parliamentarian for a long time.”