Dem auditor candidates show how money flows | News, Sports, Jobs

WARREN — The two Democrats battling in the primary looking to succeed Auditor Adrian Biviano have both built imposing financial war chests in their bids to become the chief financial officer of Trumbull County.

Current Recorder Tod Latell has an impressive list of contributors, according to his campaign finance reports filed last week at the board of elections. Meanwhile, his Democrat opponent Tom Shay has been spending from his war chest in the last few months to challenge the county officeholder.

Latell, who is attempting to move to a new office in the county administration building, received $1,000 contributions each from businessmen Ron Klingle of Howland, Sam Covelli of Warren and John Payiavlas of Warren. Other $1,000 contributors to his campaign are the Blair and Latell law firm, the Families for Adrian Biviano committee and Ted Bloom of Warren. The Warren law offices of Rieger, Carpenter and Daugherty contributed $700, while giving $500 to the Latell campaign were Frank DeJute of Niles and Thomas St. George of Howland. Businessman Anthony Cafaro Sr. also contributed $300 to Latell, the report states.

Other contributors include the five employees of his recorder office who combined to give $540.

Latell’s report lists a balance of $13,573. It also lists outstanding loans of $29,975 and outstanding debts of $8,043, with recent loans of $10,000 and $225 coming from Latell’s dad, former Trumbull County commissioner and state legislator Anthony Latell.

The major expenses of the Latell campaign include more than $3,600 for yard signs and media buys from Vantell Media Group of Youngstown for $12,813.03.

SHAY’S ACCOUNT

Shay, an accountant and Braceville’s fiscal officer, has a balance of $34,335, after spending $19,531 during the report period, while Latell gathered $19,130 in contributions and listed $18,296 in expenditures.

Shay’s report also lists a $53,000 outstanding loan taken out by his campaign before the start of the reporting period. The report lists only $1,065 in contributions which listed 17 donors all giving $175 or less. The biggest contributors to Shay were Alexander Domenick of Bessemer, Pa., $175, and Pamela Monroe of West Farmington, $160.

For expenses, the report shows Shay hit the road for campaigning by spending $407.82 on gasoline. Other major expenses for Shay included $2,731.13 for postage; $7,722.86 for printing; $4,028.34 for signs and buttons; $1,300 for newspaper advertising and $588.97 for graphic design.

REPUBLICAN

The winner of the Shay-Latell primary contest will face Martha Yoder, a Republican, who in 2020 barely lost a state representative race to Michael O’Brien. Yoder is running unopposed in the GOP primary for auditor.

Yoder’s report carried forward from that race a balance of only $45.22 and brought in $5,646, according to her finance report filed last week at the elections board. Her expenditures totaled $4,662 and she has $1,028.74 to carry forward into the fall campaign. The report also lists an outstanding loan of $87,600 for Yoder.

Among Yoder’s 62 donors listed was a $750 gift from Sam Covelli, while the Friends of state Rep. Mike Loychik committee gave $250. Other big Yoder contributers were Regina Mitchell of Warren, $500; Nicholas Santucci of Warren, $250, and Jennifer Sanders of Farmdale, $200.

Major expenses by Yoder were $1,500 for yard signs and a media buy of $3,607 from a Pennsylvania company.