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Staff photo / J.T. Whitehouse
Newly hired Poland Schools Superintendent Craig Hockenberry introduced his family at the Monday evening special meeting of the Poland Board of Education. Pictured are Rocco, 12; Gino, 14; Vivian, 17; Craig, and his wife Erin.
POLAND The Poland Board of Education unanimously approved a three-year contract for Craig Hockenberry of Cincinnati, who will officially take over as superintendent on Aug. 1.
Hockenberry and his family were introduced at Monday’s special board meeting.
“It felt right from the first day I applied,” Hockenberry said. “I am anxious to get started.”
Hockenberry said he has some ties to Poland that come from his high school days. Poland native Nick Hulea was his high school coach at Malvern where Hockenberry grew up. He went on to play football at Mount St. Joseph College.
But they also expressed great disappointment with how poor turnout was for Tuesday’s primary.
It was only 8.8 percent in Trumbull County– the lowest it’s been in more than a decade and 13.8 percent in Mahoning County.
“I was shocked and disappointed by the low turnout in the primary,” said Stephanie Penrose, director of the Trumbull County Board of Elections. “It’s disappointing from a work perspective as we work so hard for each election. It’s also disappointing that voters didn’t want to vote for local candidates who decide important issues.”
Mahoning elections Director Joyce Kale-Pesta said: “I can’t get it through people’s heads that local government is more important than federal government. Voting is very important, particularly for local government. I don’t know what drives people to come out for president and not for local elections. Either candidates don’t get the vote out or people are apathetic. It’s sad.”
Democracy in the Mahoning Valley didn’t die during the primary election, but it sustained a nasty wound.
Election officials in Mahoning and Trumbull counties predicted typically poor turnout for an odd-numbered primary. That was expected for a few reasons.
First, among the candidates, there were only contested Democratic primaries so there was no reason for Republicans to vote, though there are very few registered in Youngstown, Warren, Girard, Struthers and Niles where primaries were held.
Second, there were very few tax levies on the ballot, and you have to question why some school districts put them in front of voters who aren’t used to going to the polls in May.
YOUNGSTOWN Nothing is going to change the outcome of the write-in Democratic primary for Youngstown council president: Tom Hetrick is the winner, election officials say.
Hetrick had 1,347 votes to 1,092 for incumbent council President DeMaine Kitchen and 92 for Lee David Pupio. All three ran as write-in candidates.
The 255-vote lead is too great for Kitchen to overcome, said Director Joyce Kale-Pesta and Deputy Director Thomas McCabe of the Mahoning County Board of Elections.
“DeMaine can’t catch him,” McCabe said.
There were 205 votes “not assigned” during Tuesday’s primary and 79 provisional ballots in the city are to be counted.
But McCabe said election officials went through the 205 “not assigned” votes and “there aren’t any that are going to add to the count.”