City Council to Interview 8 Candidates for Ward 3 Council Seat

Eight residents are vying for the Ward 3 North Canton City Council seat, left open when Tim Fox resigned to pursue the city's law director position.

Council President Jon Snyder said council has until Oct. 6 to make its final decision, and he anticipates that decision to come no earlier than the first week of October.

"We have a very good pool of candidates," Snyder said. "We've got three ex-council members and great people from the business community and other areas."

Council asked that candidates apply by the deadline of Sept. 14 to be considered for the council seat, which pays $4,800 with benefits. The candidates who applied are:

• Kevin Frank, owner of Frank Properties, Ltd., where he manages and rents real estate

• Michael S. Hale, building and grounds supervisor for North Canton City School District

• Clyde E. Kemp, Jr., a former local U.S. Census Bureau office manager in Canton from 2008 to 2010

• Todd LePage, vice president of Whitacre Engineering Company

• Rick McLaughlin, a national sales representative for Alliance Shippers, who served as Ward 3 councilman from 1992 to 2003

• Chuck Osborne, who served as at-large councilman from 2001 to 2003 and 2010 U.S. Census Bureau team leader. Osborne also ran for council-at-large in November 2011.

• James A. Repace, who served as at-large councilman from 2005 to 2007. Repace is a former president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1985, which represented Hoover Co. workers

• Stephanie Snow Werren, development director for Leadership Stark County, a department of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce

Snyder said council as a whole — and not just those on the Personnel Committee — will interview the candidates. 

"That way everyone can ask pertinent questions," he said. "It's really about the chemistry of how you get along with that person and what they bring to the table."

The seat became vacant when Tim Fox, who held the Ward 3 council seat since November 2011, resigned from council to pursue the city's open law director position.

Council approved Fox as the law director, route: {:controller=>"articles", :action=>"show", :id=>"city-s-new-entryway-directional-signs-finalized"} --> on Monday night with a 5-0 vote and Fox is slated to be sworn in at 9:30 a.m. today in