A bipartisan group of community leaders is gathered Friday morning to announce a petition drive aimed at removing Mahoning County Clerk of Courts Michael P. Ciccone from office.

Mahoning County Republican Party Chair Tom McCabe, and Mahoning County Democratic Party Chair Chris Anderson hosted the news conference at 9 a.m. at the law offices of David Betras, who is the Chairman of the Mahoning County Board of Elections.

During the news conference, Betras emphasised that this petition was about law and accountability, not politics. 

"What Mike Ciccone has done has breached the public's trust. Public service is a sacred institution, and the trust of the citizens of Mahoning County has been placed into a man that has abused and trampled that trust," Betras said.

Betras says the only way for a public employee can be removed from office if they won't voluntarily resign is to remove them by a citizen-led initiative. This prompted the creation of the petition to have Ciccone removed from office.

In the announcement for the event, Betras characterized the allegations surrounding Ciccone’s conduct in office as "troubling." Chairman Anderson discussed some of those allegations.

"We're not talking about simple disagreements on policy or administration, we're talking about malfeasance, we're talking about a pattern of behavior that includes the alleged use of vile, racist and mysoginistic slurs against employees, judges and private citizens that he represents, we're talking about a $72,000 accounting order that was reportedly swept under the rug instead of simply being fixed and we're talking about an office culture built on intimidation, misconduct and fear," Anderson said.  

McCabe added that he was aware of some of these alleged issues before Ciccone's election, and that he tried to warn people about them back then.

"The time is now to do this. We're already a year into his administration, and every day, every week, more information comes out," McCabe said. 

Mahoning County residents looking to sign the petition can do so at the Mahoning County Democratic and Republican Party headquarters, as well as Betras's law office at the start of the new year.

Additionally, Anderson said both parties will have volunteers going door to door collecting signatures, and the parties will also hold various pop-up events for folks to sign the petition.

Those interested in volunteering are asked to call whichever party they are interested in volunteering for to get involved.

The move to oust the clerk follows a period of public tension between Ciccone and local political leaders. In October, the Mahoning County Republican Party issued a statement calling for Ciccone’s resignation. At that time, party leaders claimed Ciccone had displayed a pattern of behavior that damaged public trust and brought "disrepute" to the office.

Republican Chair McCabe previously stated that the call for resignation came after concerns were raised by judges, attorneys, and other staff members within the judicial system.

In response to those earlier calls to step down, Ciccone issued a statement saying he would not resign. He attributed the controversy to "personal matters" that entered the public sphere and noted he had recently fired his chief of staff and chief deputy, Jennifer Ciccone, due to internal personnel issues. Following her termination, Jennifer Ciccone made several claims against the clerk, including an allegation that he had an inappropriate relationship with another employee.

Michael Ciccone denied that specific claim, stating it was "categorically false." He also expressed disappointment that party leaders had not spoken with him directly before asking him to quit.

The situation has also involved legal issues in Ciccone’s personal life. In October, a domestic violence case against his wife, Emily Ciccone, was dismissed because of a lack of evidence. She had been accused of injuring Michael Ciccone during a September incident, but her attorney argued she had acted in self-defense.

The clerk of courts is an elected official responsible for managing court records and motor vehicle titles. Ciccone has maintained that the operations of his office have continued without interruption despite the ongoing disputes.