Today is Election Day in Akron — please remember to go out and vote today! Polls are open between 6:30AM and 7:30 PM. If you are a resident of Ward 7, I would be honored to receive your support today in the Democratic Primary!
http://www.ohio.com/news/tuesday-is-election-day-in-akron-barberton-stow-1.234675
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Allstate Insurance names Cleveland and Akron among safest city drivers in the country
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/09/allstate_insurance_names_cleve.html
According to its seventh annual “Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report” which ranks the nation’s 200 largest cities in terms of car collision frequency, Akron ranks 49th on the list and Cleveland is 59th.
Allstate noted that the average driver in Cleveland will experience an auto collision every 10 years. The average driver in Akron will experience a collision every 10.2 years.
Fort Collins, Colo., is the safest driving city in the nation. Drivers there experience a collision every 14 years. Four other Ohio cities were ranked — Dayton was 16th, Toledo 93rd, Cincinnati 110th and Columbus 127th.
Allstate said in its report that internal property damage claims were analyzed over a two year period from January 2008 to December 2009. An auto crash was defined as any collision resulting in a property damage claim.
“This report is not used to determine insurance rates, but to generate conversation about safe driving,” said Jeff Ormond, spokesman for Allstate Insurance’s North Central Region office in Farmington, Mich. “We reserve commentary on this report, pro or con, for city officials.”
Many factors go into an insurance rate – person’s driving history, the type of vehicle they drive, and where the person lives, he said.
“Crashes are also not the only factor because theft is considered as well,” he said.
Allstate’s glowing report of Cleveland and Akron drew mixed reactions from officials.
Martin L. Flask, Cleveland’s director of public safety, was not surprised at Allstate’s report.
“We are continuing to see a decrease in traffic accidents in the city of Cleveland,” Flask said. “We had 17,379 accidents in 2006, and that number decreased every year through last year, when we had 15,540.”
Flask said Operation Safe Streets, which takes advantage of fixed and mobile red light and speed enforcement cameras, has been a factor in the city’s decreasing number of auto collisions.
But Lt. Anne Ralston, spokeswoman for the State Highway Patrol in Columbus, said her agency has been investigating more crashes in Cuyahoga and Summit County through Aug. 29, than they did through the same date last year.
Ralston said in Cuyahoga County, officers have investigated 324 crashes this year compared to 232 last year, and in Summit County, the numbers are 465 in 2011 compared to 357 in 2010.
“It’s not apples to apples in that we’re comparing county numbers compared to city numbers,” she said, “and we’ve had increased patrols in Cuyahoga County this year…but we’ve clearly had to investigate more crashes this year, and we’ve always been heavily involved in Summit County.
“The good news is the number of fatal crashes in both counties are down this year,” she said.
© 2011 cleveland.com. All rights reserved.
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http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9P6N0PG0.htm
Officials say a Chinese tire manufacturer plans to open a U.S. research and development center and sales offices in Ohio, with an initial 30 employees.
The Triangle Group, based in Weihai, China, will locate in Akron. City Mayor Don Plusquellic says the facility results from f a partnership between Akron and the city of Weihai, in eastern China’s Shandong province.
The group on its web site describes itself as China’s largest tire manufacturer and supplier. Executives plan to launch A3T LLC in Akron on Friday.
The city is also home to Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the biggest tire maker in North America and third biggest in the world.
Plusquellic and Weihai’s mayor, Dr. Shutao Sun, entered into an agreement Thursday aimed at promoting cooperation in economic and other areas.
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http://www.ohio.com/editorial/editorials/for-the-akron-city-council-1.231144
Published: August 23, 2011 – 06:51 PM For the Akron City Council August 23,2011 10:51 PM GMT Beacon Journal Publishing Co. Copyright � 2011 Beacon Journal Publishing Co. Inc and Black Press. All Rights Reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the express written consent of the Akron Beacon Journal is expressly prohibited.
The candidates in Akron’s Ward 7 Democratic primary substantially agree about the problems facing their area of the city, including Firestone Park and neighborhoods to the south. They see the need for close attention to the tasks of making streets safer, providing jobs and improving housing. They accurately sense the urgency of staying on top of problems, responding before neighborhoods reach a tipping point.
The incumbent, Tina Merlitti, is running for her fourth, two-year term. She faces two first-time candidates, both of whom have invested much effort mobilizing citizen groups to tackle the ward’s issues. They are Donnie Kammer, a real estate agent, and Mayceo Smith II, a business consultant at AT&T and a pastor.
We recommend the re-election of Tina Merlitti in the Sept. 13 primary.
An executive assistant to Russ Pry, the Summit County executive, Merlitti has become a leader on the Akron City Council, where she is vice president and serves as chair of the Budget and Finance Committee. Not only does she understand how the city works, and how it can be a partner with the county, she has maintained close contact with the ward, responding swiftly to concerns.
Merlitti has been involved in many successful city endeavors, from the new tech center for Bridgestone to community policing programs to making available federal neighborhood stabilization funding.
Losing her experience and drive would be a blow both to Ward 7 and the city as a whole.
Kammer and Smith argue that they would work harder, reach out more vigorously, get more citizens involved. Both challengers are indeed energetic and enthusiastic: Kammer started and heads the Firestone Park Neighborhood Watch Program, a community group focused on public safety, and Smith founded a “Community Peace Day” group to distribute information to ward residents about available programs.
What Smith and Kammer lack is a persuasive reason to oust an experienced and effective incumbent who has delivered for the ward. As Merlitti has advanced her career and broadened her perspective, she hasn’t lost touch, reaching out consistently to address concerns in the ward.
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photo courtesy of ohio.com
The digging won’t begin in earnest until April, but a foot of snow was cleared to make room for a few ceremonial shovels of dirt at a dignitary-studded groundbreaking ceremony for Bridgestone Americas’ new $100 million technical center in Akron.
Read the rest of the article from ohio.com.
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The official press release for Tina’s election as Vice President of Council, Marco Sommerville remaining president, as well as the others who were sworn in.
New council sworn in; Sommerville retains president’s seat, Merlitti named new vice president
The 2010-2011 Akron City Council was sworn into office Monday night, followed by the election of Council officers and sometimes emotional acceptance speeches by new and old members.
Packed Council chambers reflected the monumental nature of this session’s installment of Council officers, as nearly half of those sworn in are newly elected to replace incumbent members who have served more than a decade on Council.
Sworn in were newly elected Jeff Fusco, At Large; Linda Omobien (pictured left), At Large; Russel Neal Jr., Ward 4; Robert Otterman, Ward 6; and Sandra Kurt, Ward 8. Fusco and Otterman are returning to council after having served in previous years.
Reelected incumbents sworn in were Michael Williams, At Large; James P. Hurley III, W-1; Bruce Kilby, W-2; Marco Sommerville, W-3; Kenneth L. Jones, W-5; Tina Merlitti, W-7; Mike Freeman, W-9; and Kelli Crawford, W-10.
After swearing in, Council elected its officers. Sommerville was reelected as Council President. Merlitti was elected Council Vice President and Freeman was elected Council President Pro Tem. The vice president presides over Council in the president’s absence, and the president pro tem presides in the vice president’s absence.
During time for remarks from all members, incumbents expressed sadness to bid farewell to members not returning this session, but also optimism for working with new Council members on jobs and strengthening partnerships between the city and Akron Public Schools.
Sommerville encouraged the new Council to embrace with hope and a spirit of working toward a common goal the challenges it faces as it enters a new term.
“It’s not as fun to be a Council member as it used to be,” Sommerville said. “We live in a time when the economy poses a number of challenges. We have a number of things to tackle, but we’re going to make the best of a challenging situation.”
Newly elected Council members will not vote at a special meeting scheduled for Dec. 21 to vote on proposed increased sewer rates and other unfinished Council business before the winter recess. The new session of Council officially begins Jan. 4.
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Last night all of the City of Akron Council members who are new or were reelected were sworn in, including Tina for her third consecutive term. She was also elected Vice President of Council.
An exclusive quote from Tina, just for her web site followers:
“I look forward to working with my fellow council members in the coming year. I appreciate their confidence in me as we face a difficult fiscal year. I know that by working together we will weather the deep recession that has impacted the entire country.”
Stay updated on the latest Council news through their web site or http://twitter.com/tinamerlitti
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Multi-party agreement reached to keep Bridgestone technical center, 1,000 jobs
Launch article online
Akron City Council Monday night approved a historic agreement that will keep an Akron icon – and 1,000 full time jobs – in the city.
Council authorized the execution of a development agreement between the city, Summit County, the Summit County Port Authority and Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations LLC to build a new technical center on the grounds of the original Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. campus in Firestone Park.
Under the agreement, Bridgestone will invest $67 million to construct a new 260,000-square-foot technical center on Firestone Parkway and 410-car parking lot directly across the street to be shared with Firestone Stadium. Construction is expected to begin in the spring.
For its decision to remain in Akron, Bridgestone will benefit from additional assistance and incentives from not only the city and county, but from the state of Ohio and the private sector.
Akron will contribute $1 million per year in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) payments to the project over the first 10 years, and $800 per year during the last 20 years of the agreement. If Bridgestone should leave Akron within 20 years of the agreement, the company will repay the city a pro-rata share of its contribution.
Other key details of the agreement are:
Council President Marco Sommerville lauded the agreement as a testimony to how the city and county can work together for the betterment of the local and regional economy.
“This is a great day,” Sommerville (W-3) said. “We always try to attract new business to this community, but the fact that we can retain jobs really says what we can do when we work together.”
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Tina Merlitti City of Akron Council Vice President, Ward 7 Council Member 