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MINGO JUNCTION -- Voters from the Village of Mingo Junction elected a newcomer to the village council, along with three incumbents, during Tuesday's general election, as well as a new mayor and clerk, according to unofficial results from the Jefferson County Board of Elections.
Newcomer Patti Mannarino, a licensed physical therapist and Kent State Universty graduate, secured one of the four coveted council spots contested by five candidates during the election. Mannarino received the second highest number of votes for a council member at 571 votes -- 22.58 percent of total votes.
Returning for another term on council will be incumbents Jodilynn Fitzgerald, who received the highest number of votes at 580; Jack Brettell, 508, and Patricia Cramblett, 454. Newcomer Douglas E. Smith was not elected to a spot on council, having received 416 votes.
Mannarino said, "I'm gracious and so very excited that the residents of Mingo believed in me and elected me, and I hope that all the elected will be able to accomplish what the residents have expressed so many times, and that is to get the village thriving again.
"I'm glad to help in making decisions and not just be part of the audience now," Mannarino said, adding that she hopes to bring mayor's court, a local-level court that handles misdemeanors and traffic violations, back to the village. Also, she hopes to review and update ordinances and zoning laws.
Fitzgerald, who will be entering her third term on council, said, "I really appreciate all the support I've received -- it's really humbling. … I'm looking forward to continuing to serve the people of Mingo."
Fitzgerald said she hopes to pursue possible grant opportunities by keeping in touch with local development organizations. Also, she hopes to reinstitue mayor's court in the village, with the goal of handling property maintenance violations.
Jack Brettell and Patricia Cramblett could not be reached for comment.
Earning 42.82 percent of votes, 453, and being elected as mayor was Judy L. Ruckman, a former village council member and licensed practical nurse. Ruckman was followed in votes by write-in candidate and current council member Mark Baker, 344, and former councilman Patrick F. Murphy, 261. Baker will continue serving the next two years of his first elected term on council.
Ruckman said, "Thank you for all that voted for me. I want to have the confidence of everybody to do good by our community and do the best job I can do to bring business, (and) infrastructure and just bring back our light."
Part of Ruckman's campaign promises included becoming "really aggressive" on the village's dilapidated structures. To that end, Ruckman said, "I plan on going to mayor's court. I got to talk to our chief of police to see how we can get that going. In Columbus, there's a class coming up in December.
"I just want people to know that we have to take this seriously. We live in this community, we need to be proud of this community, and when you have dilapidated things around, … it's not fair to everybody."
Ruckman added, "I just want to do good (and) make our community proud -- big, positive change."
Jay Fabian, an equipment operator in Wells Township, earned 674 votes to win the village's clerk position, a role that has been empty since Nov. 9, 2022. Trailing Fabian was Joseph L. Mannarino, who received 345 votes.
Fabian said, "I just want to thank all the Mingo voters that came out and voted and the ones that voted for me. I look forward to serving this community that I've grown up in … and working with all the different departments to keep Mingo the way it's been my whole life."
The village saw a 48.6 percent voter turnout over its four precincts, with 1,098 ballots cast out of 2,260 registered voters. With voters being asked to vote for no more than four out of five total candidates for village council, eight total instances of over-voting were recorded by the board of elections.
Out of the total 1,098 ballots, the board of elections received 1,058 total individual votes for mayor, 1,018 for clerk and 2,529 for council member.
In comparison, the Nov. 2, 2021, general election saw only a 26.8 percent turnout in Mingo Junction, with 624 ballots being cast out of 2,328 registered voters and with 1,018 total votes for treasurer and council member.