Friday, January 16, 2015LAKE MILTON, Ohio -- Ralph T. Meacham acknowledges that he lacked the political connections that many in Mahoning County see as essential to even consider a run for elective office.
Moreover, Meacham says, before last summer, he knew virtually no one in the leadership of the county Republican Party, which hadn’t run a successful candidate for a nonjudicial county seat since Gary Van Brocklin was elected prosecutor in 1984.
“I thought I didn’t have a chance, because I don’t know anyone here,” recalls Meacham, a 64-year-old certified public accountant with 35 years of experience in the private sector. Even so, on Nov. 4, he found himself elected Mahoning County auditor.
In the weeks since, Meacham has spent his days attending public meetings of the county commissioners, trying his best to understand the mechanisms of county government and meeting the key people he’ll work with come March 9, his first day in office.
What drives a man with limited political experience who otherwise enjoyed a very successful career in finance and business to plunge – as a Republican, no less – into the blood sport that is Mahoning County politics?
“Let’s face it, there’s a cloud here,” Meacham says as he leans forward on the couch at his residence at Lake Milton. “And it’s a cloud of political corruption that’s been here quite a while. If you feel you can help, and you’re able to help, and you don’t help, you’re part of the problem, not the solution. I wanted to be part of the solution.”
Aside from his experience in business, Meacham notes he’s always been drawn to volunteer work and had served on boards in the Pittsburgh area that helped nonprofits involved in health care, housing and re-employment efforts.
“I got an awful lot of satisfaction doing that kind of thing, and I thought that there were some issues in Mahoning County, and I had the background to do it,” he reflects.
The drawback, of course, was that when he chose to seek the auditor’s office, he had zero experience in politics as a candidate. “I had worked on some political campaigns in Pittsburgh for state reps and that kind of stuff,” he says. “But I didn’t know anyone here.”
Then, in late July, Meacham read a notice that the Republican Party was seeking a candidate for county auditor. Just days before, the party’s first choice, Bill Reese, withdrew from the race for reasons of health. The notice prompted Meacham to send a cover letter to Mahoning County Republican Party Chairman Mark Munroe.
“It was a Friday night and we were out on the porch having a glass of wine and I decided to check my emails before bed,” Meacham says. “There was one from Mark Munroe asking to call him right away. So, I called him – it was after 10 o’clock – and he said he wanted to meet me.”
The next day, Meacham met with Munroe and other party officials who expressed their desire to put the CPA on the ballot in November. But time was of the essence because the candidate faced a 4 p.m. deadline two days hence to file with the Mahoning County Board of Elections. The party central committee nominated Meacham the next day, and he filed his paperwork with the board before the Monday deadline.
“We had 10 days to find a replacement candidate,” Munroe recalls. “Ralph was fabulous. He was willing to dive in and do the hard work and he did so without a complaint.”
Munroe was impressed not only by Meacham’s resume – he’s held financial management positions at the former Butler Wick & Co., Packer Thomas Co., Mellon Bank and the Pittsburgh Steelers – but also with his genuine desire to help the Mahoning Valley. “He shared our vision for the need of bringing balance to the Mahoning Valley,” the GOP chairman says.
Still, Meacham chuckles that the learning curve in Mahoning County politics proved “steep, dramatic and immediate,” especially as he entered the race with “no campaign chairman, no campaign manager and no campaign money.”
Still, the political novice felt confident, and sensed an overall feeling of unhappiness among the public because the incumbent, Auditor Michael Sciortino, faces felony charges related to the county’s acquisition of Oakhill Renaissance Place. Sciortino has pleaded not guilty.
In fact, what struck Meacham the most after the election was that his margin of victory wasn’t larger. In the end, Meacham received 33,602 votes, or 51.92%, versus 31,115 votes, or 48.08%, for Sciortino.
Among the bright spots of the campaign was getting out to public forums and discussing issues with the people. “It was a lot more fun meeting people than it was raising funds for the campaign,” Meacham says.
Mary Alice Reese, with whom he lives in Lake Milton and whom he has known since kindergarten, says that the social aspect of the campaign proved very fulfilling: “It’s mostly been a positive experience. We’ve met some wonderful people. It was a little time compressed and we had no idea what we were getting into,” he says.
It wasn’t long before the realities of a Mahoning County political campaign hit. In October, the campaign’s public relations firm, Rubenstein & Associates, sent out an email invitation to a fundraiser based on a membership list compiled by the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber. Sixteen members on the list used their government addresses, and those emails were inadvertently sent to county employees during work hours.
Local Democrats – Sciortino and Democratic Party Chairman Dave Betras especially – objected loudly and accused Meacham of violating state law.
“It made a lot of fuss at the time,” Meacham says. “Election lawyers looked at it and found no election violation, so it was fine.”
As he prepares to begin his political career, Meacham looks back with satisfaction on a very busy and successful career that spans four decades in the private sector. A native of Warren, Meacham is a graduate of John F. Kennedy High School, earned his degree in economics at John Carroll University and an MBA at Case Western Reserve University.
Among the highlights of his professional career is serving as chief financial officer of the Pittsburgh Steelers between 1988 and 1991. “When I moved to Pittsburgh, I was still a Browns fan,” he laughs. “Once Dan Rooney gave me a paycheck, funny how it all changes.”
His years with the Steelers allowed Meacham to meet “fascinating people,” he recalls. “I got to know Chuck Noll, Dan Rooney, Art Rooney Jr., Franco Harris, Rocky Blier. Joe Greene was on the staff. Tony Dungy was the defensive coordinator. It was great meeting those people.”
He walks upstairs and brings down four NFL footballs from those years, two of which are signed by the Steelers squad, another one a game ball, and one other with the single signature of then-quarterback Bubby Brister.
The demands of working for an NFL franchise proved taxing. “Mid-July through January, it was seven days a week, 24 hours a day. I had to travel with the team,” he says.
Meacham returned to the Mahoning Valley 15 years ago to serve as chief financial officer at Butler Wick & Co. and then Packer Thomas.
“I think he’s the most qualified candidate we’ve had for a long time,” says Phillip Dennison, principal at Packer Thomas, Canfield. “He’s a CPA with administrative experience, banking, internal controls. Everything that the auditor does for the county, Ralph has the experience and ability.”
Dennison says Meacham brings integrity with him to the auditor’s office. “He’ll manage banking relationships, pay the bills and he’s very conscientious. He’s a real benefit for the county.”
For relaxation, Meacham says he enjoys sailing on Lake Milton in the summer, bike riding along the lake when weather permits, and cross-country skiing when the lake freezes over.
Meacham’s reading – and listening – interests include suspense authors such as John Sandford and Michael Connelly. “I’m addicted to books on disc,” he says. “Out here, we’re a half hour away from everything, so they’re great to listen to in the car. I’m just finishing a Michael Connelly book.”
And he and Mary Alice are planning a trip to Spain before Meacham takes office.
As for the new position, Meacham says it’s not his intention to “clean house,” knowing that there are competent employees all across county government.
“I’ve worked for a lot of good firms, and I hope to bring some of those influences to the job,” he says.
His ties to local politics are shallow and limited, Meachum points out, which should translate into the absence of a horde of position-seekers looking for jobs. Instead, Meacham says, he’ll take his time evaluating the office and its operations and approach it much as he’s done in any other executive position he’s held.
“I’ve been an executive for 30 or more years, and you build your credentials,” Meacham says. “Every one of those places I walked in, I didn’t wipe out the whole staff. I went in, I learned the skills and the benefits people provided to the company and I worked with them.”
Meacham says it might be different in the auditor’s office because of the element of politics involved. But, he asserts, it’s his policy to work with the staff and seek to accomplish goals together.
And, it’s important that people of the Mahoning Valley understand that the time has come to put political partisanship aside and create a lasting, productive working relationship between local Republicans and Democrats.
“I think this place has to break free of those bounds,” Meacham says. “I’m not so egocentric to think that I’m the one to do it alone, but I think can start that process because I have no outside agenda other than serving the people of Mahoning County.”
Pictured: Ralph Meacham and his life partner, Mary Alice Reese, enjoy recreational opportunities afforded them by living in Lake Milton.
Editor's Note: The Business Journal selected four people as our "Most Intriguing People of 2014" and published profiles of each in our January edition. Jim Cossler, CEO of the Youngstown Business Incubator, was profiled Jan. 12 (READ STORY). Look for our profiles posted online of Harry Meshel and Sam Covelli.
Copyright 2015 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
CLICK HERE to subscribe to our free daily email headlines and to our twice-monthly print edition.