County recorder position is filled

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Only 209 people decided who will be the county recorder until January of '09.

By DAVID SKOLNICK

VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — After 32 years in the Mahoning County Recorder's office, Noralynn Palermo is running it.

County Democratic precinct committee members elected Palermo of Youngstown as county recorder Monday. She defeated Atty. Mark Belinky of Boardman 110-99.

For Palermo, the vote was pure joy as she won the appointment during her first foray into politics.

"I can't believe this," she said moments after the results were announced. "I'm honored. I really am. I've worked there for 32 years. I never thought I'd be the recorder."

Palermo spent the past 16 years as the recorder's administrative assistant, and said she was the most experienced and qualified candidate for the appointment.

"I know this job," she said. "I've done everything in the recorder's office. It's the only job I ever had."

Palermo will finish out the remainder of Ronald Gerberry's term, which expires at the end of next year. Gerberry of Austintown resigned April 30 to fill a vacancy in the state House.

An unsuccessful run again

Belinky unsuccessfully ran for county recorder in the 2000 primary. He also lost the 2004 Democratic primary for county commissioner and has twice failed to be elected county chairman.

Belinky acknowledges he's viewed with some trepidation by the Democratic faithful because he helped create the Democrats of the 17th and 6th Districts, a political club that often criticized the party from 1998, the year it was created, to about 2004.

But Belinky said he thought his relationship with the party had improved in the past couple of years with top elected Democrats attending the club's meetings and his election last year as the Democratic Party's secretary.

"I thought I'd earned their trust," he said about the precinct committee members. "I don't know what to say. I'm just very disappointed. It's discouraging. I guess there's no place for me in public office. ... I thought we agreed to unite the party. Apparently there's still some divisions."

Anonymous letters

Over the weekend, anonymous letters were sent to precinct committee members urging them not support Belinky. With the letters were two lengthy posts by Belinky from 2002 that appeared on the political club's now-defunct message board criticizing party leadership.

Belinky said he may take another shot at running for public office, but it's premature to decide that now.

Richard Slaina of Poland withdrew as a candidate before the vote.

The recorder is responsible for maintaining and recording real estate records in the county. The job pays $62,000 a year.

skolnick@vindy.com

Tuesday, June 5, 2007