Incumbent Mahoning County Commissioner Carol Rimedio Righetti acknowledges she has been elected to her post as a Democrat, just like her two fellow commissioners, but when they get down to business, they check party politics at the door.

Her opponent, Republican Geno DiFabio believes having another party in a seat at the table will bring a different point of view and new ideas.

To that, Rimedio Righetti says, “Mahoning County is served very well by the three of us. Party doesn’t mean anything.”

While we don’t oppose a fresh look at the issues, we believe the approach taken by the current board of commissioners, which includes Rimedio Righetti, has worked. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Rimedio Righetti, 70, who lives in the city, lists among her top goals the continued good fiscal management.

DiFabio, 59, of Youngstown’s South Side, says if he’s elected, he would start by requesting a countywide fiscal audit.

We appreciate that each listed fiscal management as top priorities. With routine audits conducted by the Ohio auditor either annually or biennially — according to Ohio law — we aren’t sure that calling for an additional audit is necessary.

On other topics, DiFabio feels strongly that taxpayers are spending too much money on upkeep, maintenance and utilities at the county-owned Oak Hill Renaissance Place building. During an interview with The Vindicator editorial board, DiFabio said, “We can’t stay there.” He believes immediate steps must be taken to get out from under those costs and upkeep challenges.

Frankly, Rimedio Righetti also understands such concerns. Last week, she pointed out during her interview with the newspaper editorial board that the building was purchased by commissioners before she was first elected.

She acknowledged if she had been on the board at that time, she probably would have voted against the controversial purchase. Now she admits she isn’t even certain how marketable the building would be, raising many questions about the facility’s future. She knows it is a topic for serious discussion.

“Right now, we have to do what we need to do to make it right until we, the commissioners, decide what we are going to do with these buildings we have,” Rimedio Righetti said.

The process of finding new locations for the many county offices located at Oak Hill, relocating them and then marketing the building is far from an easy task that must not be taken lightly, and we believe the current board of commissioners understands this.

We agree it is worthy of discussion and long-term planning, but certainly such a decision cannot be entered into hastily.

Rimedio Righetti also counts as successes development of the “Campus of Care,” which she described as her pet project. The campus at the former site of the Youngstown Developmental Center near the Austintown-Weathersfield border, now is home to a collection of social service agencies such as the Mental Health and Recovery Board and Board of Developmental Disabilities, particularly offering services for the disabled.

Indeed, decisions of every elected body brings debate. Varied opinions always exist among board members and constituents; unity is never guaranteed, and that’s not a bad thing.

At the end of the day, the current state of affairs in Mahoning County government seems to be working well. Rimedio Righetti is knowledgeable and attentive to the concerns and needs of the community, and we find her to be very in tune with fiscal, infrastructure and physical plant issues throughout county government.

We believe she has earned her commissioner seat. We endorse Rimedio Righetti for re-election in the Nov. 8 election.

editorial@vindy.com