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WARREN -- Two candidates are running for Warren's 6th Ward council seat and two more are seeking the city's 4th Ward seat.
Honeya Price, the founder and director of SWAG Sisters, a women's empowerment organization, and Lea Dotson, a school administrator, are vying for the 6th Ward seat held by Councilwoman Cheryl Saffold, who is not seeking reelection.
A lifelong Warren resident, Price has been active in the community. She serves on several committees, including Community Garden, DEI Collaborative, Building a Better Table, Violence Interruption Committee, Quinby Park Neighborhood organizer, AmeriCorps Vista, Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership, as well as other nonprofit organizations.
Price also serves as a precinct representative for Warren 6B for the Trumbull County Democratic Party Central Committee. She also was appointed to the executive committee.
"I have the proven skills, commitment and qualifications to be an effective member of city council with 6th Ward residents' best interests at the forefront," Price said.
One of Price's main goals in to enforce nuisance codes in the city.
If elected, she said she will seek to create a property inventory to address vacant and unkempt properties in the ward.
Price also said she would seek to use data to identify property owners who own buildings with violations that were never addressed. She said she would look for council to work with the law department and health department to address the issue.
Under the plan presented by Price, chronic violators of the nuisance code would be issued a civil penalty that would increase over time until the issue is rectified.
Price also would seek to improve safety for seniors in the 6th Ward. She said she wants to start a neighborhood seniors safety contact list for each ward precinct. She said she would establish a start-up committee and law enforcement liaisons to allow citizens to watch training from police and increase crime awareness.
"Crime prevention programs require organization, good communication with other people from your neighborhood and good problem-solving skills, but by working in partnership with the police and your neighbors, you can start a successful crime watch group," Price said.
She said she would explore grant funding through the National Watch Program.
Price also said she would want to find ways to drive economic development in the 6th Ward and throughout Warren.
LEA DOTSON
Dotson said she is running on a platform of positioning and accountability.
"It is my firm belief that Warren is experiencing growth and the economic trajectory looks to be on the incline," Dotson said. "The new investments of industry in the 6th Ward, Sapentia investment in the old Westlawn area, new industry in North Jackson and new investments in downtown Warren, both entertainment and housing, all speak to the expected economic upward movement."
Dotson believes the 6th Ward could benefit from that growth due to its proximity to the corridor on Tod Avenue.
"My goal is to network with these companies to find additional funding to position the residents of the 6th Ward to benefit from this proximity," she said. "We need additional investments in neighborhood stabilization. The housing market and location is perfect for residents in this area to capitalize on increased home value, as well as new families moving in to take advantage of the cheaper housing."
Dotson also wants to discuss community benefit agreements with any potential tenants in the Warren West Industrial Park.
"I feel like with them moving so close to the neighborhood, it is imperative that they utilize community members for employment," she said. "This is why I have already established a workforce training program in collaboration with Mahoning Valley Manufacturing Coalition, Compass Family Service and TCAP."
Dotson said she proactively wrote a grant for when potential jobs at the industrial park become available to residents in the 6th Ward. She added that there needs to be "shared accountability," between the city and its residents.
"Neighbors need to bring back the idea of looking out for each other as well as feeling supported in reporting unsavory issues in the community," she said.
Dotson said crime and violence are a concern for residents on the southwest side of Warren. She emphasized her belief that the city must be more proactive in dealing with crime, especially with Warren's youth.
"I feel like we need to identify and resource programming … that is proactive in dealing with our kids before they fall through the cracks that make them prone for criminal activities," Dotson said.
JIM SHAFFER
Warren 4th Ward residents will choose between incumbent Councilman Jim Shaffer and Republican Kristin Riley.
Shaffer, a longtime math teacher who was appointed to the position after Mark Forte resigned in March, said a priority he will continue to work on if reelected is to slow down drugs and violence in his ward.
"I got a good start in the 4th Ward by getting legislation passed for the revoking of the liquor license of Big Apple Supermarket and Pit Stop if they didn't get matters straightened around at their stores," Shaffer said. "So far they have been doing a good job. The cars hanging around, selling drugs, people hanging around bothering customers, and the shooting and violence are down to nothing the last couple weeks."
Outside of curbing violence between individuals in the 4th Ward, Shaffer also wants to help neighbors be better to each other. He said many of the calls that he gets from 4th Ward residents deal with issues with other residents. With his background and the lessons he learned from his family, he said he wants to help and encourage residents to work out their differences.
"I'm just a farm boy that grew up in Kinsman on a large farm with 14 other brothers and sisters and a great mom and dad," he said. "Not only did we know and get along with our neighbors, but we depended on each other for help."
Another way Shaffer seeks to impact neighborhoods in the 4th Ward is to get vehicles to slow down. Shaffer said that during his time as councilman, he has worked to get street signs telling drivers to slow down.
"It scares me to death with young kids drawing chalk pictures and playing ball in their front yards and sidewalks and that someone will get hurt," he said.
KRISTIN RILEY
Riley, a food server with Arlene's Cuisine, said her top priority if elected would be to deal with crime and safety in the city.
"We, as citizens, should feel safe in our homes," she said. "We should be able to go downtown and not be harassed by panhandlers or people who suffer from substance abuse. My own experiences, especially in the last year and a half, have been astounding. Gunshots and drive-bys are far too frequent."
Riley said she feels the response time to crime has been inadequate. She said if elected, she would encourage council to work with Warren police in determining what the department needs to be more efficient.
"My goal is to learn from the departments involved, how the system is currently operating, and what these departments need to be more efficient," she said.
Riley also wants to see improvements to blighted housing and properties in the 4th Ward.
"Far too often, management companies and landlords have been in the news for not taking care of their properties," Riley said. "Just driving through the 4th Ward, there are numerous properties that are sorely neglected (or) boarded up. It's sad how bad it has gotten in just the eight years I've been here."
Riley believes the solution for the blighted properties is to enforce current laws or codes. She said that inspections on rental properties and following up with violators needs to happen more frequently.
"Fines can help fund the process," she said. "If there are homeowners that are struggling, let's network and help those folks."
If elected, Riley also would seek to make improvements to infrastructure. She said this is a major area of concern for residents. Riley said that not only does the infrastructure need to be improved, it also needs to be better maintained.
"People are tired of flooding and water backing up into their homes," she said. "It has been going on far too long and once upgrades are made, it is imperative to maintain the infrastructure responsibly."
Riley said the city needs to explore "all options" when it comes to funding infrastructure improvements.