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Five candidates running for four City Council seats

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by Jeff Saunders

Reporter

Macedonia -- With one member stepping aside, City Council will have a different look next year.

Incumbents Shane Barker, Dave Engle and Ken Martin are being challenged on the Nov. 3 ballot by former Councilors Mike Miller and Ed Morris. At least one of the challengers will have a seat on the Council dais since Councilor Peggy Spraggins is not running for re-election.

All Council positions are at-large seats.

Barker, 41, is completing his first term on Council. He is a lieutenant with the Summit County Sheriff's Office and has chaired Council's safety committee during his entire term. Earlier this year, he was Council's representative to the charter review commission and served as its chairman.

"I've always made decisions that I felt were best for the residents of the city," he said. "And I've voted against things that would raise taxes or fees."

"I've been a supporter of the police and fire departments, trying to help them get the needed staff and equipment," he added.

Engle, 56, is running for a third term. He is an attorney and former city magistrate. He was Council's vice president during his first term and, including this year, has been president for three out of four years during the current term.

Engle said that during his eight years in office, he has helped keep the city's finances under control. For example, he said, in recent years, the city has paid off about $1.5 million in old road paving debt and created a $500,000 emergency reserve fund.

"I think Council has worked hard to improve the city's financial situation," said Engle. "In the middle of the largest recession in recent memory, we've kept the city going without layoffs."

Martin, 57, is an attorney and is running for a third term. He is serving as Council's vice president this year and is Council's representative to the city's planning commission. He has about 20 years of experience as a member of the commission.

Martin said that in his eight years on Council, he has been actively involved in a variety of projects, including the Route 82 railroad bridge and road widening project, and helping to control city finances without layoffs and with an estimated $750,000 left over at the end of this year, including the emergency reserve fund.

"I've done a good job," said Martin. "I have experience and I've accomplished quite a lot."

"We're finishing the year in an admirable fashion in a rough economic period," he added. "That's because of the work of me and the rest of Council."

Miller, 55, served on Council for one term from 2004 through 2007 and was a member of the city's charter review commission earlier this year. He is operations manager at The Box Office in Maple Heights.

Miller did not comment for this article.

Morris, 66, served on Council for one term from 1986 through 1989. He was Council vice president one year and Council's representative to the city's planning commission for at least three of the four years. He has been a member of the commission since 2006 when he was again appointed. Until his retirement last October, he had worked for nearly 40 years in various engineering and management positions in the commercial and industrial heating and air conditioning industry.

He says he wants to work well with the rest of Council and the administration for the benefit of the residents.

"My intention is to work hard for everybody and to make sure everyone is fairly represented," said Morris. "That is the bottom line for anyone running for office."

"I want to keep an eye on our budget so we don't have to lay off essential people," he added.

E-mail: jsaunders@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3169