Community News

Results include losses for several incumbents, Norton bond issue, Highland levy, but win for elected engineer

SUMMIT/MEDINA COUNTIES — Several area incumbents lost their bids for re-election in the Nov. 3 General Election, including two Akron Municipal Court judges, a 32-year member of the Woodridge Local Schools Board of Education and members of the Copley-Fairlawn City Schools and Revere Local Schools boards of education.

With a ballot full of municipal, township trustee, school board and judicial races and ballot issues, voter turnout was 38.5 percent, higher than the expected 20 percent, according to the Summit County Board of Elections. Some polling places in Summit County, including Green, ran out of ballots. The Ohio Secretary of State’s Office gave the Summit County Board of Elections permission to photocopy ballots.

In Medina County, voter turnout was 44 percent, according to the Medina County Board of Elections.

The following is a rundown of unofficial election results. At presstime, both boards of elections were in the process of certifying the results. For more information, visit the Web sites of the Summit County Board of Elections at www.summitcountyboe.com or the Medina County Board of Elections at www.co.medina.oh.us/election/elect.htm.

SUMMIT COUNTY

Akron

Democrats will continue their stronghold on Akron City Council, with all contested races going their way.

In the at-large race, incumbent Michael Williams was the top vote-getter with 24.3 percent of the vote, followed closely by Akron Public Schools Board of Education member Linda Omobien with 23.1 percent and former Council member and retired deputy service director Jeff Fusco with 22.7 percent.

“I’m just very humbled and very appreciative of the support the citizens of Akron have shown me,” said Williams, of West Akron. “They’ve taken good care of me for 22 years. I feel very blessed and very appreciative of their continued support.”

Williams said the city’s budget will be the biggest issue for Council to deal with now that the election is over. Also on the near horizon are negotiations with the police and fire unions and getting through the winter with snow and ice removal.

It also will be of utmost importance for Council members and city officials to get new jobs and keep jobs in Akron, Williams said.

“I’m looking forward to the new challenges and the things that we’re facing,” he added. “I appreciate the confidence the citizens have in sending me back down there to make decisions on their behalf.”

Omobien also said she was glad to see a long campaign season fade into history and is looking forward to addressing issues of economic development and bringing jobs into the city.

“I certainly would like to thank the voters for their voter confidence, and I look forward to serving the citizens of Akron,” she said.

She said as a new Council member, she also will be turning a close eye to issues such as the current budget deficit and the city’s plan to address combined sewer overflow as required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“I think [if] we get in there and work together, we’ll be able to pull our city forward and position our city to be in a better place this time next year,” she said.

Fusco said he’s “very fortunate to have the support of family and friends throughout this entire summer and fall and look forward to working with the Council.”

Fusco added that economic development is one area he has from day one been interested in pursuing.

“I firmly believe that City Council can influence economic development,” he said. “If we are constantly bickering with the mayor and with ourselves, that sends an adverse message to the development community. ... We can disagree without being divisive.”

Fusco said he also is interested in looking at regionalism issues and involving employees in streamlining city operations to ultimately save tax dollars and increase services.

Republicans David Sutter received 11.25 percent, Michelle Dimeff 9.4 percent and David Kirchbaum 9 percent, and write-in candidate Terry Toth garnered 181 votes.

In Ward 8, Republican Elizabeth Smith did have a relatively strong showing, bringing in 42.45 percent of the vote, but Democrat Sandra Kurt was the winner with 57.55 percent.

“I’d like to thank all the people I’ve met and talked with about the issues,” Smith said.

She said she was pleased with the number of votes she won and is likely to run for elected office again.

Kurt said she was pleased the voters of Ward 8 chose her to represent them.

“I think my hard work all summer and well into the fall really showed a good payoff, and it’s nice to see that the politics of fear did not win,” she said.

Kurt said she’s looking forward to the challenges that await, particularly higher instances of crime in certain areas of the ward. She said she has been gathering ideas and talking to people to form a comprehensive strategy to address the situation.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge, and I’m honored to have been selected by the voters of Ward 8 to represent them,” she said. “It’s been a great race. It’s been a lot of fun, and I’m glad to move on to the next step.”

In Ward 1, incumbent Jim Hurley received nearly 69 percent of the vote over Republican challenger Charly Murphy.

“I’d like to thank my constituents for putting me back in my seat for two years,” Hurley said. “I hope that we can iron out some of the more critical issues in the city.

“There’s just a lot of things to work through. It’s going to be difficult on all of us,” he added. “We’re balancing the budget for this year; we have no idea what’s coming in January.”

Longtime incumbent and Council President Marco Sommerville won another term representing Ward 3 on Council. He was unopposed, as was Russel Neal in Ward 4, who defeated incumbent Reneé Greene in the September Primary.

Akron Municipal Court judge races

In the race for the Akron Municipal Court Judge term beginning Jan. 1, incumbent Jerry Larson won with 47.7 percent of the vote. Challengers MaryBeth Maxwell had almost 31.8 percent of the vote and Jason Adams came in with 20.5 percent.

For the unexpired term ending Dec. 31, 2013, incumbent Orlando Williams, who was appointed to the bench earlier this year, was defeated in his effort to fulfill the unexpired term. Katarina Cook, who got nearly 57 percent of the vote, defeated Williams, who received 43 percent.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Cook, of West Akron.

She credited friends and family with helping her with the victory.

Cook said she looks forward to working to implement a program to help drivers who have lost their driving privileges get them back through a payment plan that will make it easier for them to pay off hefty fines.

“It is used in other courts,” she said. “I’d like to bring it to Akron Municipal Court. It’s something that needs to be done.”

Williams was appointed to the seat in February after the election of Judge Eve Belfance to the 9th District Court of Appeals one year ago. He was in private practice before his appointment this year but ran for a seat on the Summit County Common Pleas Court a year ago.

Williams, a West Akron resident, said he was disappointed with his loss.

“We ran a clean race, but it didn’t turn out the way we had hoped or thought,” he said.

Williams added he would like to run again in the future but said he doesn’t have his sights set on a particular seat at this time.

For the third judgeship up for election on Akron Municipal Court for the unexpired term ending Jan. 2, 2012, Tom McCarty, husband of former Akron Municipal Court Judge Alison McCarty, who is a current Summit County Common Pleas Court judge, defeated incumbent Stephen Fallis with 57 percent of the vote.

“I have many people to thank for making this happen,” said Tom McCarty, singling out his wife and fellow candidate Cook. “I’m thankful we got our message across.”

Fallis did not return calls seeking comment by presstime. Fallis was appointed to the seat in February after Alison McCarty was elected judge to the Summit County Common Pleas Court November 2008.

Barberton Municipal Court clerk

For Barberton Municipal Court clerk, Republican Christine Croce, a Green City Councilwoman, defeated Democrat Shawn Michael McNulty with almost 57 percent of the vote.

Incumbent Democrat Andy Padrutt lost his bid to run in the Primary to McNulty.

Bath

In Bath Township, where two seats on the Board of Trustees were up for election, incumbent Jim Nelson came in first out of five candidates, garnering 34 percent of the vote.

“I want to thank the voters for continuing my term in office, and with their help I will continue the policies and practices that have made our community such a fine place,” Nelson said.

His top priorities going into another term in office are to establish a recycling center for the township and also to find a way for the township to live within its budget.

“That has to be, for every community, the No. 1 issue that they’re going to face and we’re going to face,” he said.

The second trustee to be elected is not as clear-cut. Becky Corbett received 19.14 percent of the vote and Nadine Clar 18.96 percent — only 10 votes separate the two.

The Summit County Board of Elections will process provisional ballots and conduct a recount when the results are within one-half of 1 percent.

Corbett said she would reserve her comments until the results of the election are official and final, but she was pleased with the outcome and said she appreciates the support of the voters.

Clar didn’t return messages seeking comment by presstime.

Coming in fourth and fifth were Bath Board of Zoning Appeals member James King with 16.2 percent of the vote and newcomer Darrin Kert with 11.65 percent, respectively.

Kert said he enjoyed the campaign and meeting the residents of Bath.

He said the voters made “great choices” in electing their next trustees.

“It has been a very fun process and a challenge, but certainly I do look to remain active in other facets,” Kert said.

A woman who answered at King’s number said he would have no comment.

Boston

Current Boston Trustees Amy Anderson and Gerald Ritch ran unopposed for the two seats that were up for election.

Copley

Incumbents Scott Dressler and Dale Panovich will keep their seats on the Copley Township Board of Trustees. Dressler was the choice of 35 percent of voters, while Panovich earned 30 percent of the votes.

Dressler said he was happy to be elected to a fourth term.

“I think the people are pleased we are fiscally conservative and we’ve been fiscally responsible,” Dressler said.

Panovich was a trustee from 1989 to 2003 and again from 2006 to present.

“I’m grateful for the support of the voters and residents of Copley Township who will allow me to serve them for four more years,” Panovich said.

Challenger John-Paul Paxton picked up almost 19 percent of votes, while candidate Carol Swaino Morrison received almost 17 percent.

Cuyahoga Falls

In Cuyahoga Falls, residents voted for the Ward 8 Council seat and two of the three at-large Council seats. In the mayor’s race, Mayor Don Robart, a Republican, ran unopposed.

For the two at-large Council seats up for election, incumbent Republican Carol Ann Klinger was the top vote-getter with 33 percent of the vote, followed by fellow Republican Jeff Iula with 27 percent of the vote.

Democratic at-large incumbent Debbie Ritzinger came in third with 24 percent, followed by fellow Democrat Levia Goff with 16 percent.

The only ward the West Side Leader coverage area includes is Ward 8. In the Ward 8 race, Republican incumbent Terry Mader defeated Democrat James Bouplon with almost 66 percent of the vote.

Fairlawn

Three Fairlawn City Council seats were up for election, with all three incumbents retaining their seats.

In Ward 1 incumbent James Butler overwhelmingly defeated challenger Despina Mulrooney with almost 81 percent of the vote.

Butler, who has served on Council for 14 years, said he was pleased with the win.

“I feel great,” Butler said. “When I was going door to door, I got good feedback from residents.”

Butler, who has been president of Council since 2008, said he plans to run for president again in January. He also said he looks forward to helping keep Fairlawn financially sound in the coming year.

“We’re in good shape financially now, but we could be looking at a meager year in 2010,” he said.

Mulrooney could not be reached for comment by presstime.

In the Ward 5 race, incumbent Susan Sullivan overwhelmingly defeated challenger Nicholas Kostoff with 67 percent of the vote.

“It’s a good feeling,” said Sullivan, who has been on Council for six years. “I would like to thank all the residents of Ward 5 who have once again given me the privilege of representing them on Fairlawn City Council.”

When Kostoff’s number was called, the person who spoke on his behalf declined to offer a comment and hung up.

Ward 3 City Councilman Bryan Nace ran unopposed.

Norton

In the city’s first nonpartisan election for Norton City Council, residents chose some new faces to serve in the new year.

In Ward 1, political newcomer Todd Bergstrom defeated longtime Councilman Tom Jones. Bergstrom received 57 percent of the votes.

“I feel a lot better now,” Bergstrom said of his win. “I was really nervous the last couple of days wondering how it would go. The more and more I talked to people, the more and more I wanted the opportunity to serve on Council.”

Bergstrom said he’d like to focus on seeing Council work together as a unified front when decisions are made.

“We need to start looking at more than one way to solve a problem,” he said.

He added he’d like to thank Jones for his years on Council.

“There are not many people willing to raise their hands and serve, and he deserves a thank you,” he said.

Jones did not return a call seeking comment by presstime.

Norton’s Ward 2 voters chose former Council member Don Nicolard over current Councilman Dennis McGlone in a close race. Nicolard received 51 percent of the vote.

Nicolard said he is happy to return to Council. He served as an at-large councilman from 1988 to 1990.

“I spoke to a lot of voters who said, ‘Can you get the job done?’” Nicolard said.

He added he believes he and Bergstrom will make a difference on Council.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of progress in Norton,” Nicolard said. “We have a very progressive Council, and I think we’ll be able to move things forward. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

Incumbents Bill Mowery and Ken Braman will return to Council. In the Ward 3 race, Mowery received 58 percent of the vote against challenger William Conte.

“I’m humbled that the city of Norton and people of Norton would put me up for another four years,” Mowery said. “It will be a tough four years for the city, but I’m up to the task at hand to move forward.”

Ward 4 voters handed Braman 46.5 percent of the vote, while challengers Charlotte Whipkey and Jim Pekarek received almost 39 percent and almost 15 percent, respectively.

“I’m happy,” Braman said. “I would have rather won by a larger margin, but a win is a win.”

He said he looks forward to working with Council’s newest members.

“It’s going to be exciting,” he said. “Everyone seems to think we’ve got a new attitude and everything is going to move forward. I’m sure there will be disagreements down the road, but at this point it looks like we’re going to be good.”

Peninsula

All four Peninsula Village Council members that were up for re-election — Doug Anderson, Mary Johnston Booth, Charlie Moyer and Dan Schneider — ran unopposed.

Richfield Township

For the two seats up for election on the Richfield Township Board of Trustees, incumbents David Wyatt and Laurie Peters Gilmore strongly defeated challenger Mark Totten.

Wyatt was the top vote-getter with 41 percent of the vote, followed by Gilmore with more than 38 percent and Totten with more than 20 percent.

“I’m grateful to the people that supported Dave and I,” said Gilmore, who has been a trustee for eight years. “I look forward to serving the township for another four years. I think people are pleased with the way things are being run.”

“I’m very pleased to be able to continue on the board,” said Wyatt when contacted.

When contacted for comment, a terse Totten said, “Congrats to Laurie and Dave” and hung up.

Richfield Village

All four candidates running for Richfield Village Council — Bobbie Beshara, John Ciolkevich, Andy Ellis and Hank Novak — were unopposed for the four seats that were up for election.

Stow Municipal Court judge/clerk

Voters in Boston, Cuyahoga Falls and Peninsula, among others, overwhelmingly re-elected the incumbents for Stow Municipal Court judge and clerk.

Incumbent Lisa Coates defeated Adam VanHo for judge with 77 percent of the vote.

Incumbent Lisa Zeno Carano defeated Kathleen Murphy Jeffers for clerk with 64 percent of the vote.

 

Boards of Education

• Akron Public Schools (APS) Board of Education: Voters in Akron were to choose four candidates out of eight for the APS Board of Education.

Lisa Mansfield was the top voter-getter with 20.1 percent, followed by Bruce Alexander (16 percent) and incumbent Jason Haas (14.5 percent).

At press time, Ginger Baylor was in fourth place with 12.9 percent, but trailing her closely was Dianna Smith with 12.7 percent. A recount is possible in this race.

Mansfield, who has never held public office before, said she enjoyed her six-month campaign.

“We’re really excited to have done so well,” said Mansfield, a West Akron resident. “It’s been a real learning experience. I grew up in Akron, but I got to go to neighborhoods I’d never been to before and talk to people whose voices I’m sure aren’t always heard.” 

Haas was the only incumbent to file for re-election. Board members James Hardy, Linda Omobien, who ran for an Akron City Council at-large seat, and Shelia Smith did not file for re-election.

“It was such a large field,” Haas said of the slate of candidates. “I feel humbled and happy that voters decided to send me back for another four years.”

Other candidates were Rita Hosch, with 9.6 percent of the vote, and Virgil Ortiz and Mexie Wilson, with 7 percent each.

Someone else will be appointed by the board to fill board member Kirt Conrad’s seat when he moves out of Akron as required for his position with Stark County.

Haas said the process to appoint Conrad’s replacement has not been discussed yet by the board. He said he believes the board will likely accept applications from interested Akron residents, whether they were candidates in this election or not.

• Copley-Fairlawn City Schools Board of Education: The top vote-getter in the race for three open seats on the Copley-Fairlawn City Schools Board of Education was newcomer Jessica Vargo, who received 19.6 percent of the vote.

“I think that the district has some challenges ahead of it, and hopefully I’ll be able to do my part to lead us through these challenges,” Vargo said. “I’m thrilled that the community has confidence in me, and I won’t let them down.”

While she knows there will be a bit of a learning curve as a new board member, Vargo said the two biggest issues she will be looking at when she comes onto the board will be the naming of a new superintendent upon the retirement in 2010 of Roger Saurer, and addressing the district’s financial picture.

Vargo noted how tightly clustered the vote totals were for the three incumbents in the race, saying the community showed its respect for what the incumbents have done.

Vargo was followed by incumbents Charles Dressler, with a little more than 18 percent, and Sue Emich, with slightly less than 18 percent. Incumbent John Trecaso lost his seat on the board, receiving just about 17 percent of the vote.

“I’m just glad to represent the people in Copley-Fairlawn and continue the excellence we have in the school system,” Dressler said.

He added it will be important for the board to balance the excellence of the district with its financial responsibility, especially as they look at most likely needing to place a levy on the ballot next year.

Emich added that, in addition to the prospect of a levy, contract negotiations will be an important issue to address going into another term on the board.

She said she also wanted to “thank everybody for their support. I will continue to do what’s best for the district.”

Trecaso didn’t return a message seeking comment by presstime.

Also running were Robert Campbell, who received nearly 16.3 percent of the vote, and Joyce Johnson with almost 11.2 percent.

• Norton City Schools Board of Education: Incumbents Diane Farmer, Laura Leonti and Cindy Webel ran unopposed for the three seats up for election.

• Revere Local Schools Board of Education: For the two seats up for election, Claudia Mendat Hower was the top vote-getter with almost 38 percent of the vote, followed by George Seifert with 33 percent. Incumbent Christopher Kostoff lost his bid for re-election with 29 percent of the vote.

“I’d like to thank everyone who helped me with my campaign,” said Hower of her first win to public office. “I feel honored that the community has elected me.”

Seifert, who also won his first political race, said he was excited with the win.

“I’d like to thank everyone for their support,” said Seifert. “I have five kids in the district and I felt now would be a good time to help guide the district in a positive direction.”

Christopher Kostoff did not return a call seeking comment by presstime.

• Summit County Educational Service Center (unexpired term ending Dec. 31, 2011): No valid candidate filed run for the unexpired term. Jennifer Troyer did not file to run for re-election.

• Summit County Educational Service Center: Incumbents Alyce Simmons Altwies, Susan Lobalzo and Dow Wolfe III ran unopposed.

• Woodridge Local Schools Board of Education: Incumbent Marilyn Hansen, who has been on the board for 32 years, lost her bid for re-election. She placed fourth for the three seats up for election.

“It’s the way it goes,” said Hansen. “It’s been a good 32 years.”

Incumbents Tammy Heffernan and Melissa Wilkinson were the top two vote-getters, receiving about 22 percent of the vote each. Newcomer Jan Flasco received the third highest votes with about 21 percent of the vote, followed by Hansen with 20 percent and Frank Nikic with 15 percent.

“I am very humbled to knock out an incumbent,” said Flasco. “I am so appreciative of everyone’s support. We had five great candidates and we all had different thoughts and ideas to maintain Woodridge’s success.”

MEDINA COUNTY

Granger

For the two seats up for election on the Granger Board of Trustees, incumbent Teri Berry was elected to her fourth term in office with 38 percent of the vote, followed by Richard Pace with 26 percent. Challengers Jeff Duale received 21 percent and Norma McCune 15 percent.

“I’m excited to be re-elected, and I look forward to continuing to meet the needs of the constituents and moving the township in the right direction,” said Berry.

Pace said he is looking forward to serving alongside Berry and Trustee John Ginley. He said he intends to focus on zoning and township growth as well as good financial stewardship while in office.

“We want responsible growth,” he said, and he plans to work to maintain the township’s rural atmosphere. 

Sharon

While residents in Sharon Township were faced with several choices for their Board of Trustees, they voted to keep all three incumbents, with one seat being an unexpired term. 

Incumbents Raymond Lurtz and Kimberly Bolas Miller defeated challengers James Berry and John Winland for two of the seats.

Ray Lurtz, who received 31 percent of the vote, will have served 28 years as a trustee by the end of this year, and this election awarded him another four years. 

“I appreciate the voters’ confidence in me,” he said.

Bolas Miller received 39 percent of the vote, followed by Berry with 20 percent and Winland with 10 percent.

This will be Bolas Miller’s first full term as trustee, after being appointed to the office Sept. 15, 2008, by Medina County Probate Judge John Lohn to serve the remainder of the term left open by her father, longtime Trustee Emil Bolas, after he died of cancer.

“It was a very good run, and the fact that we had so many people running shows that there’s a lot of interest in our township, and that is certainly a good thing,” said Bolas Miller.

For the unexpired term ending Dec. 31, 2011, incumbent Brian Guccion defeated James Robertson and Ken Throckmorton with 47 percent of the vote.

Guccion, who was appointed to the seat in October 2008 to fill the seat of Trustee James Dudek, who died Sept. 6, 2008, from leukemia, said he is excited to continue to do the job.

“I’m ecstatic about the town hall project,” he added, as 75 percent of voters approved spending from the township’s general fund in excess of $10,000 to renovate the 158-year-old building.

Fiscal Officer Michael George ran unopposed for the opportunity to finish out the remainder of the term he has been serving for the past year, when former fiscal officer Bolas Miller vacated the office to become a trustee. His term will expire April 1, 2012.

Highland Local Schools Board of Education

For the three seats up for election on the Highland Local Schools Board of Education, incumbents Robert Kelly, Daniel Petek and Nancy Wingenbach all retained their seats. Kelly was the highest vote-getter with 28 percent of the vote, followed by Wingenbach with 26 percent and Petek with 25.6 percent. Joseph Duale placed fourth with 20 percent of the vote.

Petek won his first election to the board after being appointed in October 2008 to replace resigning board member Brooks Rorapaugh.

“I’m very grateful that the people of the district would re-elect me to the position,” said Petek. 

Kelly, who will begin his fourth term on the board, said members have their work cut out for them with the defeat of the district’s levy.

“I think we’ve got a huge challenge in front of us,” he said. “We already spend way less per [pupil] than most other school districts.”

However, board members said they attribute the levy’s failure to a reaction to tough economic times, not dissatisfaction with the district.

Kelly said the board will decide where to make cuts, to happen either immediately or at the end of the school year.

Medina County Educational Service Center Board

For the three seats up for election, incumbent Janice Good was the top vote-getter with 23.4 percent of the vote, followed by Amanda Armstrong with 23.1 percent and incumbent Daniel Shumaker with 21 percent. Suzette Majewski received 18 percent and incumbent David Dunmire finished with 14 percent.

 

Issues

• State Issues No. 1-3: All three state issues were approved by voters.

Issue No. 1, the veterans’ compensation issue, was approved with 72 percent of the vote. Issue No. 2, the livestock care commission issue, passed with 64 percent of the vote. Issue No. 3, the casino gambling issue, passed with 53 percent of the vote.

• Summit County: Voters defeated the only countywide issue on the ballot, Issue No. 4, which asked voters to weigh in on eliminating the elected engineer’s office in Summit County.

The county’s Charter Review Commission proposed the change after it was recommended by County Executive Russ Pry to improve efficiencies at the county level.

Had the issue passed, the elected engineer’s position would have been eliminated at the end of current Summit County Engineer Alan Brubaker’s term at the end of 2012.

“I was out at a lot of the polling booths and talked to a lot of the people,” Brubaker said. “The people I talked to were very much of the feeling they like having an elected engineer and they don’t want to give that up.”

This was the third time voters have been asked to weigh in on the idea of eliminating the elected engineer.

“This cost Summit County a lot of money to put this on the ballot,” Brubaker said. “They can’t understand that the people have made their choice, and I think that’s a shame.”

He added he harbors no ill will toward Pry for putting the issue forward.

Barberton Mayor Bob Genet, a supporter of the issue, said he thought the issue would have been good for the county if it passed.

“People don’t like large government, but some of the voters probably thought an elected engineer is good for the county,” Genet said.

• Akron: Issue No. 5, a charter amendment that will alter the process by which elected officials are recalled, passed with 66.6 percent of the vote.

Previously, to get a recall question on the ballot, petitions were required to be signed by 20 percent of the number of voters who voted in the previous election for the office that is the subject of the recall. The charter amendment changes that requirement to 20 percent of all registered voters in the city — which would be a higher number.

The charter amendment was proposed shortly after an attempt to recall Mayor Don Plusquellic failed by a wide margin last summer.

Because the previous election for mayor was unopposed and fewer than 16,000 voted for Plusquellic in 2007, the number of signatures required on the petitions was only 3,179, which some City Council members said many of their constituents felt was too low.

• Copley: Voters approved Issue No. 46, a 2-mill, three-year replacement levy for the Copley Police Department. The issue was approved with 73 percent of voters in favor.

• Granger: Voters overwhelmingly approved Issue Nos. 15 and 16, renewals of the township’s 1.5-mill fire (with 71 percent of the vote) and 0.5-mill road (65 percent) levies, respectively.

• Highland Local Schools District: Voters living in the Highland Local Schools District defeated Issue No. 20 for Medina voters or Issue No. 54 for Summit County voters, a new continuing 7.9-mill levy for operating expenses, which lost with 60 percent of the vote. 

“The failure of this operating levy is a huge disappointment, to say the least,” said Superintendent Catherine Aukerman. 

According to the district, the levy would have cost an additional $242 in property taxes for every $100,000 of appraised home value. Passage of the levy would have helped the district maintain financial stability through 2013.

“In Highland, 70 percent of our general fund revenue comes from local and 30 percent comes from the state,” said Aukerman. “The district has not replenished the local share of that for 11 years.”

District officials have said they will likely try again in 2010 but at a higher rate. Additionally, district officials said curriculum offerings would likely be reduced, as would the number of teachers and support staff.

“Unfortunately, the district will now be faced with major cuts across all levels,” said Aukerman. “We will now be forced to cut several million dollars from our budget prior to the 2010-11 school year.”

• Norton: Issue No. 28, a proposed charter amendment to the city of Norton’s charter to allow Norton City Council to sell or dispose of no longer needed municipal property, passed with 65 percent of the vote. 

• Norton City Schools District: Voters in Norton said no to Issue No. 50, a bond issue and levy that would have allowed the construction of two new school buildings and other improvements in the district. The request for a proposed 6.98-mill, 37-year bond issue to raise $42.3 million for the construction of district buildings and a proposed 2-mill levy for the financing of permanent improvements resulted in 58 percent of votes against the issue.

Norton Superintendent David Dunn said he was disappointed to see the outcome.

“We worked with the community well to put together a plan to move Norton City Schools and the Norton community forward,” Dunn said. “At this point we will continue to have discussions with the community. That’s important for us to do as we decide what our city schools’ future should look like.”

If voters approved the issue, the district would have received funding through the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) to pay for 39 percent of the cost of construction for a new high school (grades seven through 12) and primary school (prekindergarten through third grade).

Dunn said the OSFC approved Norton for participation this past summer. The offer is good for one calendar year, he added, so there is a possibility that voters could be asked to consider a modified proposal.

“That does not necessarily mean we are going back [to the voters] though,” Dunn said.

• Sharon: Issue No. 19, a question to voters to allow for the Sharon Board of Trustees to spend money in excess of $10,000 on proposed improvements to the town hall, passed with 75 percent of the vote.

Ariel Marks contributed to this article.