WARREN — Hubbard Township Trustee Rick Hernandez is close to clinching the Republican nomination for Trumbull County commissioner as he leads the incumbent Niki Frenchko 59% to 40% with 130 of 158 precincts reported, according to incomplete and unofficial results from the Trumbull County Board of Elections.

“First of all, I just want to thank everyone who was involved in this win,” Hernandez said. “I really appreciate those that had come together to unite, to take this dark cloud off of our county that had been put over our county by my opponent.”

Hernandez said if elected to the board of commissioners, he hopes to work to eliminate the toxicity he believes exists among the current commissioners and county employees that is seen during the YouTube streams of their meetings.

Hernandez campaigned on improving public transportation, moving the dog pound to a new location, establishing fire and EMS programs throughout the county, improving police and law enforcement, expanding water and sewer projects, expanding and exploring new projects with the county engineer’s office, elimination of injection wells in the county, improving the county’s 911 system and expanding economic development opportunities.

Hernandez said he also believes the commissioners need to concentrate their efforts to work with townships that are in need of transitioning from septic to sewer systems, as well as working with county residents in areas with malfunctioning wells to drinkable water systems.

Hernandez said he is proud to have put forward a “clean” campaign against Frenchko.

“She went very dirty in her campaign on me and I stayed clean and true to run on my merit,” he said. “I only speak the truth and I think that reverberated with our residents.”

Hernandez, whose family has owned Hern Motors LLC since 1969 and has been a co-owner and member of the Hern Brothers Band with his brother David since 1980, previously sought to win the Republican primary in 2022.

Current Commission President Denny Malloy defeated Hernandez in the May 2022 primary race by winning 44% of the vote versus Hernandez receiving 30%. Christina D. Lee received 26%.

Frenchko, a Warren resident, previously served in the U.S. Army Reserve, and has worked as a real estate manager in her own business. She worked with CT Consultants in the 2000s.

She earned a master’s degree in public administration from Kent State University, a bachelor’s degree in social work from Youngstown State University and a certificate in appraisal from Hondros College.

During preelection endorsement interviews, Frenchko said she wanted to continue her efforts to establish county administrator and budget director positions in the commissioners office. She said both of her current colleagues have failed to support these initiatives.

Frenchko said she wants to see the county begin grading all of its buildings in order for commissioners to be able to take preventive steps in maintaining them, instead of reacting to crises when something goes wrong.

Frenchko said the county’s current budgeting process is backwards because it allows department heads to submit their budgets to the commissioners and to the county’s auditor’s office. The budget proposals then are presented to commissioners and, in Frenchko’s opinion, “rubber stamped” and approved.

“While I am extremely thankful for the voters who believe in me, I am disappointed that there won’t be a November ballot option for my seat who understands government and cares enough about residents to fight for what’s right,” Frenchko said. “It pains me to see Trumbull County go back to business as usual.”

Hernandez said he is looking forward to meeting and talking with his potential general election opponent, Dan Polivka, in the near future.

“I’m a uniter,” Hernandez said. “I brought that up in my campaign. I’m not a divider. There’s a lot of division that has gone on on the commissioners level. I would like to bring together not only the 5th floor of that department, the commissioner’s floor, but I would also like to unite the Republican Party and bring everybody together.”

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