Dimacchia was right to take responsibility for DUI

Lorain City Councilman Tony Dimacchia must not have gotten the memo for how a politician facing criminal charges is supposed to act. If he had, the Democrat would have been whining about the unfairness of his prosecution following his arrest for DUI stemming from an April 2 incident in which the pickup truck he was driving struck a gas station pylon. He also refused to take a breath test, but didn't complain that the system was rigged against him. Instead, Dimacchia, who pleaded no contest to a DUI charge last week, stayed mostly silent on the matter in the aftermath of his arrest. The exception was a statement read on his behalf at the Lorain County Democratic Party's organizational meeting held April 18. "I am asking that you accept my apology and assurances that I am taking responsibility, that this will be a teachable moment and one that will ultimately make me a stronger and better person and community leader," Dimacchia said in that statement. "I believe that one incident should not define a person and because of that I humbly ask the Democratic Party for your support." It wasn't Dimacchia's first run-in with the law involving alcohol. He previously pleaded guilty to a DUI charge in 2005 and no contest to a reduced charge that started off as a DUI in 2012. Still, Dimacchia's apology April 18, his pledge to do better and his request for support were enough for most county Democrats. By a 58-23 vote, the party endorsed him for county commissioner against Republican Marty Gallagher, who defeated Commissioner Michelle Hung in the GOP primary in March. Dimacchia bested three other Democrats in their party's primary. Democrats and Dimacchia surely know that the DUI case hurt his chances to win in November. Republicans are already making political hay of the conviction, as evidenced by a letter to the editor from former GOP Commissioner Tom Williams that we published today. He argued that the incident and the conviction, along with Dimacchia's prior history, showed he was unfit for office. Yet when then-Commissioner Matt Lundy, a Democrat, brought up the DUI history of Jeff Riddell, his GOP opponent in 2022, Republicans either cried foul or shrugged. Granted, Riddell's most recent case wasn't during the election cycle, but it was fair game for Lundy to bring up. Because voters knew about Riddell's history, they were able to factor it into their decision making. The result was a narrow win by Riddell. Likewise, voters should evaluate Dimacchia's past record and recent conviction when comparing him to Gallagher. In a similar vein, Dimacchia shouldn't be surprised that some voters in Lorain have called for him to resign from Council and be removed from his job as director of operations for Lorain Schools. Given that Dimacchia took responsibility for his actions after exercising his right to due process under the law, we don't believe that's necessary. He was convicted of a misdemeanor, albeit a serious one. It's also not as if he got a pass for his bad behavior. Visiting Judge John Ridge sentenced him to 180 days in jail, but suspended all but three days. Dimacchia can either serve time in jail or complete a driver's education program. He also was fined $600 and saw his driver's license suspended. After taking the plea, Dimacchia issued a statement explaining his silence by saying that he hadn't said much on the advice of his lawyer. Before Dimacchia's statement was read at the Democratic Party meeting, we had called on him to address the matter because, as an elected official and candidate for office, we believed he owed the public an explanation. On the other hand, every criminal defendant to entitled to his rights, including the right to remain silent. In any event, Dimacchia again apologized last week for the arrest after entering his plea. He also wrote that "I recognize that having chosen the path of public service, I am and should be held to a higher standard as I have a responsibility to represent those I serve with the utmost integrity." We agree. None of this excuses Dimacchia's mistakes, but it was at least refreshing to see a politician take responsibility for his misbehavior and accept the consequences. We'll find out in November whether that will be enough to persuade county voters.