Take a deeper dive into election’s winners, losers

May 8, 2026

One interesting part of the primary elections in Mahoning and Trumbull counties was how few people were in contested races for the seats they currently hold. The only incumbents in contested races in the two counties were Trumbull County Commissioner Denny Malloy, Trumbull Auditor Martha Yoder and the Valley’s two U.S. House members — Michael Rulli of Salem and Dave Joyce of Bainbridge. They’re all Republicans. You can also include Thomas Summers, who was reelected as the 32nd District state central committeeman despite losing Trumbull County to Tom Letson. But state central ...

Trumbull races prove timing can play key role in politics

May 1, 2026

Timing isn’t everything in politics, but it sure plays a huge factor. Look at Devon Stanley, a Liberty trustee, Girard Municipal Court prosecutor and Trumbull County deputy clerk of courts, who also has a private law practice. Already having four jobs, though he isn’t currently serving as Girard’s prosecutor, Stanley is running in Tuesday’s Republican Party primary for common pleas court judge. If he gets elected, Stanley would give up his current jobs to be a judge. Hanging over his head for months is an Oct. 23 incident in which he allegedly assaulted his wife. The case ...

Engler faces challenges in winning stop-abortion suit

April 24, 2026

Trumbull County Judge David L. Engler is seeking to stop abortions in Ohio through a lawsuit he filed with the Ohio Supreme Court contending the 2023 reproductive rights constitutional amendment does not provide protections for minors. Rather than asking the court to focus on that lone issue, Engler, a domestic relations / juvenile division court judge, wants an end to all abortions and a revote on the issue, approved by 57% of voters in November 2023. Engler’s lawsuit states that the reproductive rights amendment, which took effect in December 2023 as Article I, Section 22 of the ...

Don’t count on any fast move of Mahoning elections board

April 17, 2026

For the past two years, Mahoning County Board of Elections officials have vocally complained about the conditions at its offices at Oakhill Renaissance Place. There’s been a lot of talk. There’s even been singing as board Chairman David Betras performed in front of the county commissioners. Could action finally be forthcoming? That’s difficult to determine, but things have progressed more in the last six weeks than they have at any other time during the past two years. All involved parties agree on one thing: Getting the board of elections and other county offices out of ...

Low primary turnout is the norm in Mahoning Valley

April 10, 2026

As has been the case for years, turnout for this spring’s primary is expected to be poor. It should be between 23% and 25% in Mahoning County, according to Tom McCabe, director of its board of elections. Stephanie Penrose, his counterpart in Trumbull County, expects turnout to be around 25% in her county. The predictions are in line with what the two counties have seen in the past few years. In the May 2022 primary, when the governor’s seat was on the ballot, turnout in Mahoning was 23.24% and 25.83% in Trumbull. In the 2018 primary, which had contested governor’s ...

‘Naked Niki,’ Trump endorsement dominate GOP US House primary

April 3, 2026

There’s more to U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce than his endorsement by President Donald Trump and more to his Republican primary challenger Niki Frenchko than her attention-grabbing photos to draw people to her “OnlyFrenchko” website. With early voting starting Tuesday and the May 5 primary a month away, each campaign has its focus. I will be writing an article shortly detailing the platforms of the two Republicans as well as the three Democrats running in the 14th Congressional District race. But first I wanted to expand on what Joyce and Frenchko are doing. Joyce is running ads that ...