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Streetsboro seats up for grabs: Incumbent challenged by newcomer, ex-councilman, ex-planning member

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Bob Gaetjens
October 28, 2009

 

By Bob Gaetjens

Gateway News editor

STREETSBORO — Four candidates are facing off to fill three City Council At-Large seats this fall. 

Incumbent Julie Sanders is joined in the race by political newcomer Tim Claypoole, former City Councilman Chuck Kocisko, and former planning commission member James “Ed” Lupton.

Current at-large Councilman Pete Buczkowski is running for mayor, and at-large Councilman Nick Ciofani is not seeking re-election.

• Claypoole said his financial background qualifies him to help lead the city. 

“Using my financial background, I would enable us to better guide our city’s spending on infrastructure,” he said, adding he’s got budgeting, forecasting and fiscal planning experience.

If elected, Claypoole said he would like to update roads, the city’s water system, and parks.

“My main concern is roads,” he said. “Our roads are really pretty bad, and they need to be updated. City parks are important, too. They help bring the city together.”

• Kocisko cited his experience on city council, as a planning commission member and as chair of the civil service commission as qualifications to serve on City Council.

“I’ve been involved in this since the mid to late 1990s and haven’t missed a meeting that I can recall since 1997,” he said. “I still get calls at 10 or 11 at night from people still thinking I’m on Council.”

Kocisko, who ran for mayor in 2007, said he believes the city needs to “tighten up our belts a little more” and try to help spur new business in town. 

“We need to redevelop some of these areas,” he said. “We need to sit down with some of these landlords and see what we can do to help them.”

• Lupton said he has helped manage large budgets in his professional life and wants to see more financial accountability in Streetsboro.

“I have 23 years in the military and handled about $2 million to $3 million budgets for the military,” he said. 

He said he would like to direct more funding to the city’s service department. 

“My biggest goal is to get a larger carryover from year to year, so we do not get into this money crunch every September or October,” he said. “The guys in the service department do a great job. I don’t understand why we don’t have more materials and stuff available to them to go out and do what they need to do.”

• Sanders, who ran for mayor in 2007, said serving on council has been a fun learning experience. 

“Since I’ve been on almost four years, I’ve learned a lot, seen how a city needs to be run and understand budgeting,” said Sanders.

She said she would still like to spearhead beautification of the old cemetery on S.R. 43 just south of S.R. 14.

“Some of those people were born in the 1700s, and that’s just awesome to me,” she said. 

Sanders also said she wants to establish a children’s garden in town, hopefully in a visible location.

She also said the city needs to establish a “rainy day fund” for emergencies and other unanticipated expenses that arise during the year.

 




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