Friel may become Newcomerstown mayor

It looks like James Friel could become mayor of Newcomerstown. Friel apparently has won the Democratic primary race by a close vote. Friel received 130 votes or 52 percent compared to 121 for James Earl McCormick.

The new four-year term for mayor begins Jan. 1, 2012. The current salary for mayor is $10,000 per year.

Incumbent Mayor Steven Guy, a Republican, isn’t seeking another term, and no other Republican filed for the primary race. As a result, the winner of the Friel-McCormick primary race likely would be unopposed in November’s general election.

The deadline was May 2 for an independent candidate to file to run in the general election, and write-in candidates must file by Aug. 29.

Both Friel and McCormick have been active in the community and have been involved on Newcomerstown Village Council. Both agree that the economy is taking its toll on the village’s budget and look to fixing that as a major priority.

The budget has been a struggle for the village and in January Newcomerstown Village Council voted to have each hourly employee take five days of “furlough time” without pay by July 1 to hold down spending.

“Getting the budget back in line and staying within the budget is something that needs work,” Friel said. “We need to get that back in shape so we aren’t cutting from the employees.”