October 18, 2020
YOUNGSTOWN – Republican Steve Kristan of Canfield, a political newcomer, is Mahoning County’s two-term commissioner, David Ditzler, in the fall election.
Ditzler, a Democrat, commissioned for eight years and director of Austintown for 19 years, while serving nearly 30 years in sales for two metal companies.
Kristan is in public service for the first time after 35 years as AT’s Director of External Affairs
Ditzler said one of his greatest achievements as commissioner was addressing the county’s monetary deficits when he first took over the workplace in 2013.
“When I first arrived eight years ago, they took a $2 million bond factor to pay a physical care bill. I thought, “It’s like paying the electric bill with a Mastercard, ” he said.
The county did not have a deferred balance at the time and the county’s fitness services bill expanded to $2 million according to the year. Employees paid little for the prices of fitness services and there is very little cash in the fitness fund.
“So we started integrating the language of physical care into contracts. We started making sure everyone had their membership,” Saidzler said. “Today, of all the other things we have done . . . we’ve been able to create a surplus in our health care plan: $14 million to come this year. “He said the county had about 1,700 employees.
The county also saves cash in other areas. ” This year, we transferred more than $16 million to the general fund,” which allowed the county to pay the prices of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
PLAN DE VISION
When Kristan ran for commissioner, he met with dozens of network leaders to ask them what they like the most, least of all in the county.
“From there, I developed my MVP – Mahoning County Vision Plan by 2025,” he said. “I see Mahoning County as we are about to make adjustments and put in place certain things or remain complacent and mediocre and in the end back up. In my activity box, you either keep moving forward or back off.
“I have noticed that Mahoning County is moving forward and, in some cases, backing down. I’ve worked with counties all over northeast Ohio and I’ve noticed what some of the smart ones are doing, which are doing some of the mediocre ones. “
Kristan said his first precedence is to expand high-speed Internet – also known as broadband – for all citizens, as there is a wallet of citizens who do not have it.
Connect Ohio said a few years ago that more than 30% of Youngstown homes do not have Internet even though it is available, Kristan said.
Teams of business, network and government leaders will be hired to advise and lead a public-private partnership to design and implement the project, he said.
“It will help our other people because if you don’t have the generation here, other people will leave and go where you have them,” he said. “Students will have more online education opportunities. Workers will gain benefits as they will have more opportunities to paint remotely, and older people will have greater access to telehealth services. It will also potentially attract others to the region and expand our tax base. “
Ditzler said Mahoning County partnered with Ashtabula and Trumbull counties for broadband access through a public service and earned a $135,000 grant. Counties are waiting to get proposals from corporations interested in implementing it.
SHARE EQUITABLE
Kristan said U. S. Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat from Howland, recently spoke to Boardman about the top three projects in the area, and that they’re all in Trumbull County.
“You get to Bailey Road on Interstate 76 and you see FedEx. You see a green space. I like green spaces, but that’s all there is until you succeed on the county boundary (Trumbull), he says. “And then TJX, Lordstown Motors, the battery plant. There is Power Station 1 and Power Station 2. “
He said “it looks like we’re getting our fair share” in Mahoning County.
In response, Ditzler stated that most people did not perceive the authority of a county commissioner.
People say, “We deserve to do this with the city (of Youngstown) or do that with the city. Well, there are no departmental roads in town. There are no things that have an effect on the city that I can do, ” he said.
Ditzler said he had more authority when he was director of Austintown than he was now as commissioner, as an administrator can make adjustments to the police or highway department, but those purposes are controlled through some other elected county government official.
However, he was able to help the Hollywood pig at Mahoning Valley in Austintown when he became county commissioner by creating tax-boosting investments to help infrastructure around the allocation and in other areas.
He attempted to create a tax-up investment for Racino’s site when the Centerpointe Activity Park assignment was proposed, but the county commissioners blocked it. office, Ditzler said.
He is also part of the Tax Infrastructure District Board, which earned $250,000 to plan and design commercial spaces in North Jackson, Ditzler said. The board could potentially secure greater infrastructure investment for corporations such as PureFoods, Amazon, FedEx and Extrudex, he said.
David Ditzler (left)
AGE: 62
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Austintown
EMPLOYMENT: Two terms as Commissioner of Mahoning County, 35 years in the industry, 19 years as administrator of Austintown Township.
TRAINING: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Associate Degree in Applied Business, Youngstown State University.
Steve Kristan (right)
AGE: 61
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Canfield
EMPLOI: Director of External Affairs at AT
EDUCATION: Boston College Certificate in Community and Corporate Relations; Bachelor’s degree, Bowling Green State University.
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