Fallsnewspress.com - Voters keep all ward City Councilmembers

Mark Ihasz

Diana Colavecchio

Don Walters

Terry Mader

by Steve Wiandt

Reporter

Cuyahoga Falls -- All eight incumbent ward representatives on City Council are returning in 2010 for two more years.

Vincent Rubino (D-1), Mary Ellen Pyke (R-2), Ken Barnhart (R-3) and Jerry James (D-7) all ran unopposed in the Nov. 3 General Election. Mark Ihasz (D-4), Diana Colavecchio (D-5), Don Walters (D-6) and Terry Mader (R-8) won in contested races.

Ward 4

In the Ward 4 race, the incumbent Mark Ihasz, a Democrat, garnered 780 votes, or 56.7 percent, while Republican challenger and teacher Marianne Sandy had 595 votes, or 43.3 percent, according to final, but unofficial results from the Summit County Board of Elections.

"I would like to thank the residents of Ward 4 for all their support," Ihasz said. "I will continue to work with my constituents to resolve any issues they may have."

Ihasz has been a member of City Council since 2008. In his new term in office, which begins in January, he said he "will address our aging infrastructure and help preserve our homes and neighborhoods so they are appreciable and safe."

Ward 5

In Ward 5, incumbent Diana Colavecchio, a Democrat, was re-elected with 1,048 votes, or 57.8 percent. Her challenger, Zach Myers, a Republican and small business owner, received 764 votes, or 42.2 percent.

"My plan for the future is to continue to represent the residents of Ward 5 in the best manner possible," Colavecchio said, adding that she would be "remiss" if she didn't thank her opponent for running a clean campaign.

A Councilwoman since 2006, Colavecchio is looking forward to two more years. "I'm excited to continue to be involved in the State Road Shopping Center project," she said, adding that details of the developer's plans should be known by the end of this year.

Ward 6

Ward 6 Councilman Don Walters, a Democrat, was re-elected by a margin of 655 votes. He received 1,125 votes, or 70.5 percent. Republican challenger Judith Fradette, a deputy clerk of the city's mayor's court, got 470 votes, or 29.5 percent.

Walters said that lately he has been devoting much of his time to his work on Council and aside from posting some signs on the main streets, he did little campaigning.

"This is the first time I felt I would just let my track record with the residents pretty much speak for itself. I didn't do much if any campaigning, actually. It turned out good, I'm flattered that the people want to keep me in there representing them."

Maintaining all city services at a lower cost will be a goal of Council's during his next two-year term, Walters said. "Essentially, do more with less," he said. "The city's famous for a lot of services other cities don't offer and I don't want to see any of those get cut -- the senior snow plowing, the free smoke detectors -- a lot of the things we do, we take pride in."

Walters said he doesn't foresee any city services getting cut. "The residents shouldn't feel any effect from the downturn in the economy as far as the city goes," he said.

Ward 8

In Ward 8, the Republican incumbent, Terry Mader, defeated Democratic challenger Jim Bouplon, an IT director, 1,307 to 681 votes, or 65.7 to 34.3 percent. Mader said he wanted to thank all of his constituents "for showing their support and re-electing me." Looking ahead, Mader said, "I am still dedicated and hopeful to improve the aesthetic conditions of State Road all the way from Graham Road to our border at Seasons Road."

Improving State Road from one end to the other is a long-term goal, Mader admitted, but his hope is that the proposed Summa Western Reserve Hospital complex on Seasons Road will attract new commercial businesses to the State Road corridor.

Second to State Road on Mader's "wish list" is the continued improvement of the infrastructure in Ward 8. "All of these things hinge on where we are financially in the future," he said, adding, "[However] I am encouraged that the administration is doing its best to deal with the budget issues as we go into 2010."

Mader said he hopes the administration, Council and the unions can work together to find ways to save money while protecting jobs.

E-mail: swiandt@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3141