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NEWTON FALLS -- Three candidates are seeking to fill the 2nd Ward seat on village council.
Brian Axiotis, Condie Bright and Tracy Hurst are running for the post in the May 2 primary.
Current 2nd Ward Councilman John Baryak will not be returning as he has met his term limit.
AXIOTIS
Axiotis, who moved from the township to the village in 2007, said he actively has been involved, attending meetings when time allows and stepping up to voice his opinion on issues.
He said he also has volunteered on the planning and zoning committee and was on it for the past few years. He recently resigned to run for council.
Axiotis said some level of ethics should be expected from elected officials.
He said he does not support the Smart Meters program and never saw a need for them.
"The city should have had in place a plan to replace so many meters a year on a continual basis. We don't need the 'smart' aspect that these meters provide," he said.
Axiotis said he is against repealing the tax credit for people who work outside Newton Falls but live in the village. He said people should not be penalized for deciding to bring the money they earn outside of town back to the village where they live. Axiotis said most folks already pay a city tax where they work and should not be doubled taxed.
Axiotis said he did not approve when council bought a former church building for city offices, noting the previous building was not in bad shape.
He also said he did not support the hiring of Pam Priddy as city manager, noting her lack of experience. Axiotis said he does not agree with eliminating the police department. While the sheriff's office is doing a good job, he doesn't feel it will continue long term because the sheriff's office is already over budget so there will be cuts somewhere.
"As a council person, we should always take into consideration the cost and benefit to the people before we vote yes / no on issues," he said.
"With the limited tax dollars available, these decisions just didn't make sense. We spent so much money to fire people that we literally could have gotten the church building for free or had the money to pay for the police department for over half a year to continue on."
Axiotis said as a councilman, he wants to always make the best decision possible on an issue and wants to explore what it would take to get the police department back. He said council says the village is broke, but it keeps spending money on things not needed, such as $5,000 on a motivational speaker.
He said he will focus on economic development to increase tax revenue. Axiotis said the more tax dollars coming in, the less of a burden there will be on the individuals.
"We should work on attracting new businesses and if needed annexing more land into the city to grow our tax base. There are many regional government things we should be involved with as well that can help us grow," he said.
He said he will focus on parks and recreation for the youth and explore the possibility of building a new recreation center or partnering with the school to use the closed middle school for public functions. Axiotis said he will check on available grants that could help with this.
BRIGHT
Bright said he wants to bring back "normalcy" to council.
"We are a small town. I would like to see things back to normal," he said.
He said he will focus on keeping the parks safe and also addressing halfway houses in the community. Bright said he will address keeping roads in good condition and other improvements, such as cleaning up neighborhoods of litter.
"We need to make the town beautiful again," he said.
Bright said he will address getting the village police department back, noting the police force needs to be replenished.
He said he will focus on getting new business in the community and make the village a place that businesses want to be.
Bright said while Dunkin' on Route 5 is a good start, attracting more businesses is necessary.
He said he wants council meetings to start having people get along with less screaming matches, yelling and arguing like it has been this past year.
"It is important for officials and the public to get along. Everyone may not agree and there is nothing wrong with disagreeing without fighting," Bright said,
Bright, who is marking his first time running for office and who has lived in the village since 2004, said he is retiring in October after 31 years and will be able to focus his time as a council member serving the community.
"I will be able to make myself available to the public since I will be retired," he said.
HURST
Hurst, who attends council meetings regularly and often asks questions not only about the 2nd Ward but villagewide, said she will focus on the underpasses in her ward.
"There are two in my ward. I have already reached out to some of the engineers," she said, noting she wants to investigate the structural integrity, aesthetics and flooding issues of covered bridges.
Hurst said she will focus on completion of repairs for projects and also on beautification of the village and economic development. She said she also is addressing recently purchased properties in the 2nd Ward and will see what other properties are available in the ward for commercial development.
She also wants to increase unity, improve communication, increase community involvement and increase the accountability of officials.