Homepage | Archives | Calendar of Events | Exploring Akron | Lawn & Garden | Society | Pets | Death Notices | Get email news alerts | About Us
Community News

Conklin ready for challenges on Norton City Council

9/20/2012 - West Side Leader
      permalink bookmark

By Kathleen Folkerth

John Conklin
NORTON — Newly appointed Norton City Councilman John Conklin (Ward 4) is no stranger to how the city operates.

The Norton native, a graduate of Norton High School and a former City Council member, is back on Council after a seven-year break that came when he lost a primary election for his seat in 2005.

Since that time, Conklin said he served on the Parks Board and Planning Commission.

“I’ve continued to be involved in what’s going on with the city,” he said.

When former Ward 4 Councilman Ken Braman resigned in August, Conklin was one of several Ward 4 residents who applied to finish out the next 16 months of the remaining term. Council approved his appointment at the Sept. 10 meeting.

“I always had an interest in what was going on and I thought, why not,” said Conklin, who is the father of two adult children with his wife, Connie. “I was looking for a challenge, and I thought Council would be a good challenge. There’s a lot of things going on with various personalities and issues and everything else.”

Council members Charlotte Whipkey (at large) and Bill Mowery (Ward 3) opposed Conklin’s appointment. In addition, a resident unhappy with the appointment had to be removed by a police officer after an outburst, Norton officials said.

Conklin said he wants his constituents and other residents to know that he wants to work with them.

“I want to emphasize that I am approachable,” he said. “I will at the very least listen to what they have to say on the subject and take it under consideration as to how I vote on the Council floor. I will listen to comments being made by fellow Council members, comments being made by the administration and comments and suggestions being made by residents. I need to take all that information to come to a decision when voting on Council.”

Conklin said the two biggest issues he sees as concerns in his ward are the condition of roads and the potential addition of sewers in the area.

“I know I have streets within my ward that are on a no-plow list because if we were to send a snow plow down those roads, it would tear it up,” he said. “The second thing is the residents of the fourth ward are also watching the sewer question in Nash Heights and how that plays out and how that might affect that ward.”

He added that much of the Ward 4 properties use septic systems.

“Since overall most of the housing is also old, probably the majority of the septic systems, if they have not been replaced, are probably well over the 20-year range,” Conklin said.

The addition of sewers in Norton is one of the biggest issues he said the city is facing overall, but he added that appointing a director of community development to replace John Moss, who died last week, would also be a major topic of discussion for Council in the near future. [For more on that, see the related News & Notes item on Page 1.]

Conklin said he has worked in shipping and receiving for the Norton City Schools District since 1996. He said he has some flexibility with work so that he can address city issues during the business day.

He added that residents with concerns can call him at City Hall at 330-825-7815 or at home at 330-825-6767.

“I’m just going to try to do the best job I can for the city and the ward,” Conklin said.

He added that at this point he plans to run for the seat when it is up for election in November 2013.

      permalink bookmark