West Side News & Notes
By Kathleen Folkerth
Comunale to fill
County Council spot
DOWNTOWN AKRON — The Democrat Precinct Committee from Summit County’s District 4 chose West Akron resident Frank Comunale to represent the district on Summit County Council.
According to Russ Balthis, executive
director of the Summit County Democratic Party, Comunale
received 27 votes during the special meeting held Jan.
20 to fill the vacancy left by Pete Crossland, who was
elected to an at-large seat on Council in the
November election.
DeAndre Forney, another West
Akron resident in the running for the seat, received
16 votes, Balthis said.
Comunale was unavailable for
comment. His sister, Amy Klein, died the morning of
the vote, and services took place earlier this week.
Comunale is expected to take part in his first meeting
as a member of County Council Jan. 29.
Comunale ran for one of the three
at-large seats on Council in the May Primary, where
he came in fourth behind Crossland, Ilene Shapiro and
Jon Poda. All three were elected in November.
The District 4 seat’s term
expires in November 2008.
Clerk of Courts Northern Summit
County office relocates
MACEDONIA — The northern
Summit County office of the Summit County Clerk of Courts
Title Bureau has relocated to a new location at 9699
Valley View Road. The new office is just a few doors
south of the current location.
Office hours will remain the
same — 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
The Summit County Clerk of Courts
Title Division can be reached at (330) 630-7203.
— By Stephanie Kist
AMATS participates in
OhioRideshare
NORTHEAST OHIO — The Akron
Metropolitan Area Transportation Study is participating
in OhioRideshare, a new free online commuter matching
service serving 13 counties in Northeast Ohio.
The three transportation-planning
agencies that provide ride-sharing assistance in the
Cleveland, Akron-Canton and Youngstown-Warren metropolitan
areas have cooperatively launched OhioRideshare.
Registrants can now conduct searches
for potential carpool partners online from wherever
they have computer access, and they can contact potential
carpool partners directly via e-mail.
Other interactive features include
a car-savings calculator and mapping functions.
The program maintains the confidentiality
of registrants’ personal information, according
to AMATS officials.
Registrants enroll in the program
by visiting www.ohioride
share.com and clicking
on “create your account today” under “new
rideshare user.” Registrants then enter their
information where prompted. Once registrants have set
up their individual accounts, they can begin searching
for potential carpool partners immediately.
Those who don’t have computer
access can still participate in the program by calling
OhioRideshare serving the Akron-Canton area at (800)
825-7123. — By Stephanie
Kist
Zurz picked to head state
Department of Commerce
COLUMBUS — Ohio Gov. Ted
Strickland has appointed state Sen. Kimberly Zurz (D-District
28) as director of the Ohio Department of Commerce.
“Kim’s energy, good
judgment and common- sense
leadership make her the right person to lead the commerce
department,” Strickland said.
As one of the state’s chief
regulatory agencies, the commerce department’s
mission is to safeguard the public, while striving to
regulate commerce in a reasonable, fair and efficient
manner.
The 28th District encompasses
Portage County and a portion of Summit County, including
part of West Akron. A state senator since September
2003, she has worked to create and promote new jobs
and industry, as well as school funding — concentrating
on finding ways to reduce the cost of college tuition,
according to her office.
In the Ohio Senate, she currently
serves as ranking minority member on the Ways and Means
and Economic Development Committee, and also serves
on the Judiciary Committee on Criminal Justice and the
Judiciary Committee on Civil Justice Committee.
Previously, Zurz served 11 years
on Summit County Council, including three terms as its
president, and also has been a member of several boards
and commissions, including the Akron/Summit Convention
and Visitors Bureau Board, the Summit County Criminal
Justice Advisory Board and the city of Green Charter
Commission.
Zurz is president of her family
business, the Eckard-Baldwin Funeral Home in Akron,
which she believes has given her a unique perspective
on the needs and concerns of small-business owners.
“As a businesswoman, public
servant and a parent, I understand how important
the work of this department is
to the world we live in,” Zurz said. “I
look forward to working with businesses and consumers
to find ways to strengthen our economy as well as our
quality of life.”
Zurz will begin her duties in
the commerce department Jan. 29 and is expected to resign
from her Senate seat by the end of this week. The state
Democratic Caucus will appoint her replacement. The
seat is up for election in 2008.
Zurz is married to Richard Zurz
Jr., has three children and lives in Green.
— By Maria Lindsay
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