Latest news with #KentCityCouncil
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tipton, Wallach pull ahead in early Kent primary voting
Candidates for Kent City Council at-large seats are, top row from left, Ben Tipton, Derek Salustro and Tracy Wallach; and, bottom row from left, Michael Thrasher and Sarah Wesley. Three Democrats rose to the top in the primary May 6, moving on to a November contest for Kent City Council at-large seats that is even more crowded. In early voting, former Kent City Councilwoman Tracy Wallach and Benjamin Tipton were ahead, with 318 votes for Wallach and 390 for Tipton. The three other Democratic contenders, Derek Salustro, Michael Thrasher and Sarah Elizabeth Wesley, were in close competition for the third seat, with 229 votes for Salustro, 216 for Wesley, and 127 for Thrasher. The three top Democrats are set to face Republican Cecil Anderson and two independents, John Kuhar and Eric Dreger, in the fall. Kuhar served Ward 4 for 17 years until 2023, when he lost the seat to Democrat Chris Hook. At that time, Kuhar ran as a Republican. Dreger, a retired police officer, resigned from the sheriff's department in 2023, and also was a sergeant at the Kent Police Department before joining the sheriff's department. Kent's three at-large council members − Democrats Michael DeLeone, Gwen Rosenberg and Roger Sidoti − are not seeking reelection. Councilman Jack Amrhein, a Democrat who serves Ward 2, is running unopposed for Kent mayor. The current mayor, Jerry Fiala, an independent, did not file petitions seeking reelection. This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Tipton, Wallach pull ahead in early Kent primary voting
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
5 Democrats seeking at-large seats on Kent City Council
Five Democrats are seeking at-large seats on Kent City Council in the only partisan primary in Portage County's May 6 primary election. Voters will narrow the field to three candidates, who then will face Republican Cecil Anderson in November. The three current at-large council members − Michael DeLeone, Gwen Rosenberg and Roger Sidoti − are not seeking re-election. The Democrat candidates are, in alphabetical order, Derek Salustro, Michael Thrasher, Benjamin Tipton, Tracy Wallach and Sarah Elizabeth Wesley. Salustro stated in his bio in the Kent League of Women Voters' Spring Voter Guide that he has run numerous events to raise funds for local charities, including food drives for Kent Social Services. He has served as a member of the Kent Planning Commission for the past two years. "I believe that a 'rising tide raises all ships,'" he said. "I think it's important that whatever we do for this town, that it has the ability to affect all people positively. Since our community is only as strong as our weakest, we need to find ways to help and protect them." He said economic efforts should include job training, and programs should be strengthened to help those in need, including a "victory garden" program to provide fresh produce. He said he'd also like to see economic diversity, expressing concerns about Kent's reliance on Kent State University as its primary economic driver during hard economic times, and addressing housing challenges by focusing on transitional housing for seniors. Thrasher, a lawyer, has volunteered as a campaign worker during the presidential campaigns of John Kerry, Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. He stated in his Spring Voter Guide bio that Kent has seen "rapid growth in recent years" but questioned whether council has planned for potential negative consequences, such as parking, infrastructure strain and crime. He also cited a "long list" of other concerns such as condition of roads, sidewalks and parks, safety and property maintenance. "Rest assured I'll have plenty to say as the need arises but my highest priorities will always be availability and the willingness to listen to the people that put me there," he said. Tipton has served on Kent's Board of Zoning Appeals, Fair Housing Board and salary review board. He also is a member of Kent Rotary Club and is treasurer of the Episcopal Church of Kent. He works at Kent State University, where he is assistant vice president of foundation relations. He ran for council in 2023, seeking to serve Ward 1, but Councilwoman Melissa Celko won the primary and that seat on council. Tipton said he has a plan to address issues such as housing affordability, economic growth and cost efficiencies, which would include sustainability efforts. "I care about my community, and I want to see it flourish," he said. Wallach is a former member of Kent City Council, serving four terms in Ward 6. She was unseated by Councilman Jeff Clapper in the May 2023 Democratic primary. On her website, Clapper stated that she's lived in the Kent area for 42 years, moving back to the city to study for her graduate degree at Kent State University, and has lived there since then. "During the time I was previously on Council, the downtown was redeveloped, we finally got a hotel, a better relationship was established with the University allowing for cooperative endeavors like the East Main Street project, and stronger ordinances were passed to deal with the encroachment of illegal boarding houses and student nuisance issues," she stated. Prior to joining council, she said, she's been involved in the city in various ways, including serving as the city's first recycling coordinator, and becoming part of the steering committee that brought Main Street Kent to the city. "I have developed relationships with city staff that allow me to get things done quickly and efficiently and I know how government is supposed to work for the betterment of people's lives," Wallach stated. Wesley, who serves on the city's Civil Service Commission, is a teacher in early education at Kids Kare in Kent and a volunteer at the Longcoy School Association. She stated in her Spring Voter Guide bio that she hears many complaints about the housing crisis, and said she believes a town hall between landlords and tenants would be "a great place to start." She also hopes to address road repair, saying that many streets are in "serious need of repair." "I will fight for funds to get these roads repaired," she stated. She also believes that economic growth is a challenge in Kent, saying she has seen businesses come and go. "I would like to try to help bring new business into the city and help businesses find economic relief that are already doing business in our city," she stated. "As Stow continues to grow and bring in commercial business I think Kent deserves a chance to have some of those businesses possibly move into our town to increase our economic growth and bring jobs to Kent." This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: 5 Democrats vying for Kent City Council at-large seats
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ravenna, Streetsboro voters to face school levies on May ballots
Voters in Ravenna and Streetsboro will decide on school levies on their May 6 ballots, when local candidates, including for a municipal court judgeship, also will make bids to serve. Wednesday was the deadline for candidates to file petitions in partisan races that appear on the May ballot. One seat on Portage County Municipal Court also will be on the ballot, along with partisan races candidates for Kent City Council and mayor. Those seeking at-large seats on Streetsboro City Council also filed petitions. The board will meet Feb. 14 to certify the petitions for the ballot. In Ravenna, where voters will elect a council president, one at-large seat and council members for Wards 1 and 2, the filing deadline is Feb. 20. Elected offices in Streetsboro and Ravenna are non-partisan. Independent candidates in partisan races have until May 5 to file, and August is the filing deadline for the November ballot, which will include races in townships and villages. Wednesday also was the deadline for ballot issues requested to go before voters in May. In the Portage County Municipal Court, Judge Melissa Roubic will face Wesley Buchanan in a May 6 primary. Buchanan, an attorney who works in private practice in Akron, also ran unsuccessfully for Municipal Court judge in 2021 and for Common Pleas Court in 2022. The contest is the only countywide race on the May ballot. In Kent, where seats for city council at-large, as well as mayor and council president, are open this year, one person is seeking election as mayor, and six candidates are running for city council. Democrat Jack Amrhein has filed petitions to run for mayor. Amrhein has served on council for 17 years, nine as president pro tempore, meaning that he can serve as acting mayor if Kent's mayor, Jerry Fiala, is unavailable. Jerry Fiala, the current Kent mayor, is an independent and has until May 5 to decide to run. Those seeking seats on City Council at-large include Republican Cecil Anderson and Democrats Derek Salustro, Michael Thrasher, Benjamin Tipton, Tracy Wallach and Sarah Elizabeth Wesley. Anderson would run unopposed on the Republican side, while the Democrats would narrow the field to three. Wallach is a former member of Kent City Council, where she served Ward 6. The current at-large representatives, Michael DeLeone, Roger Sidoti and Gwen Rosenberg, are not seeking re-election. In Streetsboro, where voters will elect three candidates to Council at-large, four people have filed petitions, including two current council members and one who has served before. Councilman Jon Hannan and Steve Michniak have filed petitions, as has former councilman Michael Lampa and Chris Yonish. Lampa, who is gay, resigned from council in 2023 after a controversy over a comment on Facebook that he later deleted. Yonish ran unsuccessfully for council in Ward 2 in 2023. Voters in Streetsboro and Ravenna also will see levy requests in May. Streetsboro voters will be asked for a 5.0-mill continuing levy for emergency requirements. The levy would generate $3.885 million a year, and cost homeowners $175 per year per $100,000 in home value. In the Ravenna City School District, where voters have turned down four consecutive requests for new money, they will be asked to pass a 5.47-mill, five-year levy for emergency requirements. The levy, which would generate $2.75 million a year, would cost homeowners $192 per year per $100,000 in home value. Aurora voters will be asked to renew a 5.61-mill, five-year levy for current expenses. The levy, which generates $3.828 million annually, costs homeowners $132 per year per $100,000 in home value. In Mogadore, which has residents who reside in both Portage and Summit counties, voters will be asked for a 5.93-mill, six-year emergency levy "to avoid an operating deficit." The levy would cost $208 per year per $100,000 in home value. Voters in the Springfield Local School District, which overlaps into Portage County, will be asked to pass two renewals − one at 2.74 mills and another at 7 mills. Some Portage County voters also will consider a 1-mill bond issue for the Akron-Summit County Public Library, which would generate $1.6 million and cost $35 per year per $100,000 in home value. Brimfield voters will decide on two levies for roads and bridges, and Hiram voters will be asked to pass a replacement levy for roads and bridges. This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Ravenna, Streetsboro seeking levies on May 6 ballot
