Candidate Spending

YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County Sheriff Randall Wellington didn’t have an opponent on the Democratic primary ballot, but he spent like he did.
Wellington succeeded in getting David P. Aey of Boardman removed as his opponent, jumping over the final legal hurdle Feb. 26. That’s when a federal judge denied Aey’s injunction to get back on the ballot.
Two days later, Wellington, of Youngstown, sheriff since 1999, loaned $30,000 to his campaign.
Among Wellington’s major expenses in the days leading to the March 4 primary include:
U$10,604 to Keynote Media Group of Youngstown for the production of campaign commercials.
U$7,804 paid on Feb. 27 to the Columbus law firm of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur for legal fees.
He also paid $3,646 to the Youngstown Club in Youngstown to rent the facility on primary night for what he described as a “victory party” on the check to the company.
Wellington spent more than $50,000 on his campaign, about half of it between Feb. 14 and April 4, according to finance reports filed Friday with the county board of elections.
At least Wellington has something to show for his money.
Aey didn’t make it on to the ballot, but he spent close to $70,000 seeking the sheriff’s position.
The money spent on what turned out to not even be a race was small potatoes compared to the Democratic probate court judicial primary.
The three candidates in that judicial race spent more than $200,000 of their own money combined for a job that pays about $120,000 a year.
The big spender, Susan Maruca, was also the big loser in the race.
Maruca of Poland gave $79,090 of her own money to the campaign. She finished last with 24.9 percent of the vote.
James Lanzo of Struthers, a municipal court judge in that city, gave $60,000 to his campaign. He finished in second with 31.5 percent of the vote.
Judge Mark Belinky of Boardman, appointed to the seat by the governor, contributed $61,000 of his own money and won the primary with 43.6 percent of the vote.
The primary left Judge Belinky with $3,599 in his campaign fund as of April 4.
County Court Judge Scott D. Hunter, who ran unopposed for the probate court seat in the Republican primary, had $56,972 in his campaign fund as of April 4.
Lou A. D’Apolito of Boardman spent $30,000 of his own money to capture the Democratic nomination for a common pleas court seat.
He doesn’t face opposition in the November general election.
His three opponents — Judge Timothy Franken of Beaver Township, John Jeffrey Limbian of Youngstown and Louis M. DeFabio of Canfield — didn’t file campaign finance reports by Friday’s deadline.
In his pre-primary filing for the period between Jan. 1 and Feb. 13, Judge Franken reported borrowing more than $100,000 from himself and family members for his race.