Four women want to fill the 3rd Ward council seat being vacated by mayoral candidate Kathy Catazaro-Perry, who is the sole female councilor on the nine-member legislative body.
Three Democrats and one Republican are up for the seat, which Catazaro-Perry has held for eight years.
The candidates include Democrats Andrea Scassa, Mary Pribich and Lynda Blankenship.
Republican Linnette Hayden automatically will advance to the general election in November by virtue of running unopposed in her primary.
It’s a two-year term that starts in 2012 and runs through the end of 2013. All candidates are focused on the city’s financial stability.
“As state and federal funds dry up, the city is going to be the last hope for those who are falling through the cracks,” said Blankenship, operations director of the Lincoln Theatre and CEO of Wordshack.com. “I want to keep the city focused on that so that every citizen has the quality of life in every ward that we all hope for.”
Blankenship said the council that will take over in 2012 will inherit problems now being discussed. She said some issues, such as proposed fee increases and other changes to the city building code, may “never see the light of day” because they have been tabled.
“Bring those forward and have an up-or-down vote on them,” she said, adding that the building department is “undervalued” and needs a new revenue stream. She also wants to focus on making Massillon a day-trip destination, and growing local business.
Scassa, a staff attorney and magistrate for the Canton Municipal Court, said her focus will be the budget.
“It all boils down to the budget,” the 1998 Washington High graduate said. “People are tired of the government just spending, spending, spending. Trying to come up with new revenue streams is good, but they want to see the cuts first. They want to see government tightening up its belt.
“People have had to cut their personal budgets and they don’t understand why the government isn’t doing that also.”
Scassa said she’s ready to make hard decisions.
“I’m not going to come in there with a hatchet,” she said. “There needs to be more discussion about how we can run more efficiently, getting input from all sources, all department heads. Everyone needs to come to the table and be able to work together.”
Scassa said she also wants to be a representative to ward residents, but believes she will work for the entire city if elected. “I’m hoping to bring a fresh, new perspective to City Council,” she said.
Pribich, the director of food and nutrition for Affinity Medical Center, said everyone is concerned with the city’s financial stability.
“I would be very pro-business, pro-industry,” she said. “I’d work very hard with City Council and the mayor and do whatever I can to encourage new businesses in town.”
Pribich said she has the experience of managing budgets and staffing and knows “how to do more with less.”
“I want to work to secure our future and our growth,” she said. “I know the city has met a lot of challenges over the years and I know there’s a lot more to come.”
Hayden, the Republican candidate, said the city needs a balanced budget so it can provide better basic services, such as improved roads. She also wants to improve the city and her ward’s visibility.
“We definitely need to raise the visibility for the merchants in our area and we need to give more opportunities for family activities,” she said.
Source: http://www.cantonrep.com
Three Democrats and one Republican are up for the seat, which Catazaro-Perry has held for eight years.
The candidates include Democrats Andrea Scassa, Mary Pribich and Lynda Blankenship.
Republican Linnette Hayden automatically will advance to the general election in November by virtue of running unopposed in her primary.
It’s a two-year term that starts in 2012 and runs through the end of 2013. All candidates are focused on the city’s financial stability.
“As state and federal funds dry up, the city is going to be the last hope for those who are falling through the cracks,” said Blankenship, operations director of the Lincoln Theatre and CEO of Wordshack.com. “I want to keep the city focused on that so that every citizen has the quality of life in every ward that we all hope for.”
Blankenship said the council that will take over in 2012 will inherit problems now being discussed. She said some issues, such as proposed fee increases and other changes to the city building code, may “never see the light of day” because they have been tabled.
“Bring those forward and have an up-or-down vote on them,” she said, adding that the building department is “undervalued” and needs a new revenue stream. She also wants to focus on making Massillon a day-trip destination, and growing local business.
Scassa, a staff attorney and magistrate for the Canton Municipal Court, said her focus will be the budget.
“It all boils down to the budget,” the 1998 Washington High graduate said. “People are tired of the government just spending, spending, spending. Trying to come up with new revenue streams is good, but they want to see the cuts first. They want to see government tightening up its belt.
“People have had to cut their personal budgets and they don’t understand why the government isn’t doing that also.”
Scassa said she’s ready to make hard decisions.
“I’m not going to come in there with a hatchet,” she said. “There needs to be more discussion about how we can run more efficiently, getting input from all sources, all department heads. Everyone needs to come to the table and be able to work together.”
Scassa said she also wants to be a representative to ward residents, but believes she will work for the entire city if elected. “I’m hoping to bring a fresh, new perspective to City Council,” she said.
Pribich, the director of food and nutrition for Affinity Medical Center, said everyone is concerned with the city’s financial stability.
“I would be very pro-business, pro-industry,” she said. “I’d work very hard with City Council and the mayor and do whatever I can to encourage new businesses in town.”
Pribich said she has the experience of managing budgets and staffing and knows “how to do more with less.”
“I want to work to secure our future and our growth,” she said. “I know the city has met a lot of challenges over the years and I know there’s a lot more to come.”
Hayden, the Republican candidate, said the city needs a balanced budget so it can provide better basic services, such as improved roads. She also wants to improve the city and her ward’s visibility.
“We definitely need to raise the visibility for the merchants in our area and we need to give more opportunities for family activities,” she said.
Source: http://www.cantonrep.com
No comments:
Post a Comment