- October 17, 2021
- Comments: 0
- Posted by: admin
Welcome to the 2021 Voter Guide produced by the League of Women Voters and Akron Beacon Journal with funding from the Knight Foundation.
This file focuses on the City of Munroe Falls. Candidate responses are not edited.
A link to our complete interactive Summit County Voter Guide showing just races on your ballot can be found immediately below.
Summit County Voter Guide:Who to vote for? Candidate information in their own words
Voting:Here’s how to vote early in Summit County
Choose 2.
Education: Master’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Akron
Training/Experience: 23 years of working in IT
Previous public office: Munroe Falls Park Board for 2 years
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JohnMFCC
Why are you the best candidate for the office? I have lived in Northeast Ohio since 1991 when I first started attending the University of Akron. I’ve mostly lived in the area ever since. I finally settled in my “forever home” in Munroe Falls roughly 7 years ago. This city has been a pleasure to call home and I want to do everything possible to have this city continue to be that way. Two years ago I was appointed to a spot on the Park Board. During my tenure I’ve initiated and assisted with community events, and help maintain the cleanliness of the local parks. My volunteerism was rewarded by the Mayor and City Council with “John Impellizzeri Day” (October 24th, 2020). Becoming a member of the City Council will be one of the greatest honors of my life. Just as I put all my efforts into my position on the park board, I will continue to do everything possible when on the council for the betterment of Munroe Falls.
What is your vision for economic development of your community over the next ten years? Munroe Falls is a successful city economically. It has a unique combination of modern businesses such as the fast-food restaurants and others, and older appearance businesses such as the barber shop and boutiques. As I write this, the empty lot at the corner of 91 and Munroe Falls Avenue is currently under construction for a strip mall to host 4 new businesses. “Float the River” and “Signs 330” have opened recently, and the Triple Crown appears to be getting renovated. These are just a few of the signs that Munroe Falls is alive and vibrant. I will be in close contact with both new and existing businesses to maintain this successful upswing in our economic center.
What are the most significant issues facing your community and what ideas do you have to address these issues? First is our aging emergency service equipment. The fire vehicles that are currently in service are over 20 years old, and are becoming more and more difficult to maintain. It has gotten to the point where many of the parts for these vehicles are simply no longer made. They will need to be replaced in the near future. Unfortunately, this carries a hefty price tag. The current administration is doing a solid job of planning for the future. However, I’d like to see if there is more that can be done. Secondly the computer equipment the city uses is antiquated. I’ve worked in the IT field my entire carrier. I will be able to use my knowledge to help modernize the hardware, software, and networking of the city. And lastly, I’d like to bring back more community events. All the cities surrounding us have a variety of activities throughout the year. Granted Covid has squashed a good number of those types of events, but as life returns to normal, so should Munroe Falls.
Party: NP
Candidate did not respond.
Choose 1.
Education: Bachelors of Science – Accounting Associates Degree of Applied Science – Data Processing
Training/Experience: 40 years of Investment Banking, including technical support, managerial oversight and compliance with OCC regulations
Previous public office: City Council for Munroe Falls 6 years At Large Council Member 10 years Ward 1 Council Member
Why are you the best candidate for the office? For the past 16 years, it has been my honor and privilege to represent the citizens of Munroe Falls on our City Council, serving under two different administrations in a fair and impartial manner. I was selected by Council to serve as its President twice, and have chaired the Audit and Finance Committee, Community and Economic Development Committee, Council Representative to the Park Board as well as the Planning Commission. Primarily because of my education and work experience, I have been usually selected to chair the Finance and Audit Committee. In this role, have worked closely with the Finance Director, Mayor and each department head to develop and finalize each year’s budget. This Committee also meets twice each month to review actual revenues and expenses against the budget, as well as an in-depth analysis of the City’s municipal investments. I am currently serving as Treasurer of City’s Community Improvement Corporation.
What is your vision for economic development of your community over the next ten years? As Munroe Falls is a relatively small city, there are a limited number of areas that would be ideal for development. As such, it is important to make sure that every opportunity is researched and given careful consideration. One huge advantage we have is the river which is already providing numerous recreational activities. I would love to see the open area on the south bank of the river become home to a River Walk featuring specialty shops, restaurants and a coffee house or two. With respect to other commercial and retail business concerns, there is the Route 91 corridor that has thousands of cars travel it every day. I am thrilled to see new businesses moving into our city along this corridor, and hope that momentum continues in the spirit of our Town Center plan that was introduced to City Council a number of years ago. One final note – our City is also home to public parks, bike trails and green space that should be protected and maintained, not sacrificed.
What are the most significant issues facing your community and what ideas do you have to address these issues? Our biggest challenge in Munroe Falls is how to maintain the high quality of services provided by our Police, Fire, EMS and Government Services team in the face of rising costs at a very high rate. I have always marveled at the way we have kept our fire trucks, Police cruisers, EMS vehicles and service trucks in service long after their depreciated value and life expectancy have been reached and in many cases, exceeded. We should continue this practice as long as there are no safety issues that might come into play. Unfortunately, there is no single solution to this problem, so my recommendations are as follows: first, to work with Administration and the department heads to prioritize the capital items in their budgets. Second, to consider various options for acquiring capital items, such as lease versus loan, versus cash purchase. Third, where required by State and Federal regulators, to begin earmarking funds for future purchases of high cost capital and infrastructure items.
Training/Experience: 4 years on the Munroe Falls Park Board, with 3 as chair. Professional training and experience in project management, leadership, and innovation.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RossMunroeFalls
Twitter: www.twitter.com/RossMunroeFalls
Previous public office: Munroe Falls Park Board, Chair
Why are you the best candidate for the office? I am a listener and a doer who is passionate about my community. As a member of council, I will not only make myself accessible to my neighbors, but actively solicit their feedback and input to ensure that we have the voice of individual residents represented and harness the best ideas of our own people. An organized task manager with a bias toward action, I will make sure that council diligently follows through on its commitments. Also, any decision-making body needs a periodic injection of fresh ideas and passion. My addition to council will broaden the age diversity of the group, bringing the perspective of a new generation that a growing number of our residents are part of. “It takes all kinds,” as they say, and while I bring potentially a different point of view than other members of council, I value harmony and constructive discussion to collaboratively reach the best decisions for everyone.
What is your vision for economic development of your community over the next ten years? Our city needs a two-pronged approach for economic development which both makes the city an attractive place for larger businesses to settle and also supports small businesses and entrepreneurs so that they can thrive. Recruiting existing businesses largely relies on traditional strategies of fiscal incentives that make us regionally competitive and promoting our city amenities and convenient location. We should also pursue ways to support our own residents who may have a great idea for a business or are running a small operation, but ready to scale. By creating programs to help businesses and entrepreneurs already in our backyard, we can create win-win opportunities that will spur continued growth in the city.
What are the most significant issues facing your community and what ideas do you have to address these issues? The need for economic growth is critically important at this time, as discussed in the previous question, and should be a central focus for the city in the near term. As another high priority, the city needs to look for every opportunity to secure funding to continue to improve our infrastructure, including road repair, and accelerate the timelines of these projects wherever possible. Finally, we need to promote a sense of community among our neighbors. With society today bitterly divided on a multitude of issues, we need leaders who ground themselves in objective truth while engaging constructively to work toward solutions together. I’m ready to be one of those leaders.
Choose 1.
Candidate did not respond.
Candidate did not respond.
