YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County Democratic Party will induct four new members into its hall of fame and honor county Administrator Audrey Tillis with its first ever trailblazer award named in honor of Joyce Kale-Pesta, a local political icon who died in April.

“These honorees represent a broad spectrum of the best parts of Mahoning County,” said party Chairman Chris Anderson. “They are career public servants who have bettered the lives of everyone in our county while never compromising the values that we as Democrats hold dear. We can’t wait to not only celebrate their accomplishments, but also their future plans.”

The inductees are Bill Padisak, John Boccieri, Michele Lepore-Hagan and Ann Simms.

The event is Aug. 14 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Youngstown. Tickets are available at mahoningdemocrats.org or by calling party headquarters at 330-259-9589.

Steve Dettelbach, the former director of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, will be the keynote speaker.

In addition to the inductees, Tillis, the current and only woman to serve as county administrator, will be given the trailblazer award named for Kale-Pesta, a former county Democratic chairwoman and board of elections director. Kale-Pesta was the party’s vice chairwoman and served as a board of elections member when she died.

“This was an event that was always near and dear to our beloved former Vice Chair Joyce Kale-Pesta’s heart,” Anderson said. “It is an honor to work with the JFK Women’s Club to enshrine her legacy as a trailblazer” with this award.

Padisak is being inducted into the hall of fame for his work as a union organizer and political strategist that helped shape policies promoting economic justice and workers rights in the region. Padisak recently retired as president of the Mahoning-Trumbull AFL-CIO Labor Council.

Boccieri is a former Ohio representative, state senator and U.S. congressman. Boccieri served in the U.S. Air Force and the Reserves. He is a senior military assistant and strategic policy advisor to the assistant secretary of the Air Force. He is being honored for his commitment to public service and his advocacy for economic development, infrastructure and the rights of veterans.

Lepore-Hagan is a former Ohio representative, who focused on education, health care, women’s rights and labor rights. She continues to advocate for economic and social equality issues in the area.

Simms is a longtime county board of elections employee, now serving as absentee and provisional ballot coordinator. She is also a longtime activist in the local Democratic Party, helping both the party and numerous candidates.