BOARDMAN — Mahoning County Democrats overwhelmingly voted to have Dan Dascenzo, Youngstown’s deputy law director and a former Mahoning County magistrate, serve as the next county clerk of courts.

Dascenzo will fill the remainder of Tony Vivo’s unexpired term and will run for a full four-year term in the November 2024 election.

The party voted 48-27 Wednesday for Dascenzo over James Vivo, Youngstown’s first assistant law director.

“It means a lot that our Democratic Party put their faith and trust in me,” Dascenzo said after his victory at the St. Luke Banquet Hall in Boardman. “It feels good to be recognized for conducting yourself over a period of decades in a manner that you believe in and that is honorable all the time.”

Dascenzo, whose appointment will take effect shortly, said he is “a political appointee and the voters have not yet had the opportunity to have their voices heard. My goal first and foremost is to step in to provide that continuity of stable leadership that the Mahoning County Clerk of Courts’ office has been so fortunate to enjoy over the past several decades.”

Vivo said he was disappointed with the results, but congratulated Dascenzo on his victory.

During a speech Vivo gave to get the party’s appointment, he said he would run in the 2024 Democratic primary for the seat regardless of the outcome. After the vote, Vivo said he was unsure about such a bid.

Because Tony Vivo is a Democrat, the county Democratic Party’s central committee got to select his successor. Vivo’s term expires Jan. 5, 2025.

Dec. 20 is the filing deadline for those wanting to run in the March 18, 2024, partisan primary.

County Democratic Party Chairman Chris Anderson said: “We could not be more excited to have attorney Dascenzo on the ticket. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge and expertise as someone who’s seen the clerk’s office from every possible angle: a private attorney, a prosecutor and a magistrate. I have no doubt he’s going to make every Mahoning County taxpayer proud. He is going to also make an outstanding candidate in 2024.”

Dascenzo has worked for Youngstown as deputy law director for about two years. Before that, he was a magistrate in the county’s domestic relations division for two years and prior to that was a magistrate in the common pleas general division for 10 years. He’s been an attorney for 25 years.

Vivo, first cousin to the most recent clerk of courts, has been Youngstown’s first assistant law director for nearly four years. Before that, he was in private practice for 19 years. He also was a clerk at the county board of elections from 1999 to 2002 and worked as a file clerk at the county clerk of courts from 1991 to 1996.

Dascenzo and Vivo expressed interest in the job July 25, the day that Tony Vivo, the clerk of courts for nearly 29 years, announced his retirement. Vivo’s retirement was effective Aug. 25.

A third candidate, Harry Turner of Youngstown, a retired state business administrator, filed by the Aug. 18 deadline to be considered for the party’s appointment. He withdrew Sept. 6 as a candidate.

A screening committee, chaired by Denise Bayer of Canfield, met Sept. 6 via Zoom with the two candidates. The committee determined both were “very qualified” for the job.

The committee’s report though states its members “expressed concern” over Vivo’s “response / explanation for his disciplinary proceeds before the Board of Professional Conduct of the Ohio Supreme Court in 2012 and 2019.”

Vivo was suspended twice by the court with both suspensions stayed on conditions he followed. The matters involved violations of the rules of professional conduct, including failure to provide competent representation.

Vivo brought up the issue when discussing his candidacy at Wednesday’s meeting, saying: “Representing 6,000 clients in over 20 years of private practice, it’s going to happen.”