7 candidates want to serve at large on Canton City Council

CANTON − Seven Democratic at-large council candidates will be on Tuesday's ballot seeking to advance to the general election.

City Council has three at-large members who serve two-year terms. Democratic incumbents James O. Babcock and Louis P. Giavasis are seeking re-election as at-large councilmen, and Councilman Bill Smuckler, D-at large, is campaigning for mayor.

More: Voters to elect new Canton City Council president

Democrats Nathaniel Chester III, Joe Cole, Doug Prestier, Nicholas J. Rinaldi and Crystal Smith also are running for the at-large council seats. There is one Republican candidate ― Kerry Jane Dougherty ― who will face the primary winners in November.

Council members earn an annual salary of about $21,627 and the council's peer-elected majority leader earns $24,030, according to the Auditor's Office.

James Babcock

Babcock, 73, touts 100% attendance during his 11 years on council. He considers the demolition of blighted houses and providing city safety forces with resources among his accomplishments.

With another term on City Council, Babcock said, he would continue to serve city residents and improve their quality of life.

"My goals would be to continue to serve the people of Canton, to seek and unite the community by controlling gun violence through education, cooperation and awareness among the citizens of Canton," he said. "I would also like to continue to improve the streets along with the neighborhoods."

Babcock is a Realtor and a member of the Jefferson-Jackson Democratic Club of Stark County, NAACP, the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Knights of Columbus.

Nathaniel Chester

Chester, 35, is executive director of The Martin Center and a former Ward 2 councilman. He served on City Council from 2017 to 2019, when he resigned to focus on mentoring the city's youth.

"Even though I stepped down from my seat, I never stepped down from the city," he said.

Chester is a board member for ABCD Inc. and the Greater Stark County Urban League. He also has volunteered with the Canton City School District and the Indian River Juvenile Correctional Facility.

Now that his children are a little older, Chester said, he has more time to serve as a councilman. His top priorities would be to reduce crime and poverty, invest in youth education and employment opportunities, and improve city roads and infrastructure.

"I just have a heart for the community, always did," Chester said. "I just see a lot going on in the community, and I feel like I have a lot of resources."

Joe Cole

Cole, 49, is a social studies teacher at Early College Middle School at Lehman and a former at-large councilman. He served on City Council from 2010 through 2013.

The educator is the academic challenge coach, and he proudly shared that this year's middle school team was the Stark County champions. Cole also was the adviser for a group of seventh-grade girls who won $500 through a TomTod Ideas competition. They will continue providing care packages and supportive letters to the Domestic Violence Project and potentially additional agencies next year.

He's seen the condition of streets and sidewalks in the "forgotten" neighborhoods and wants the city to do better to serve its residents, especially its increasing senior population. Cole said there needs to be more engagement with elderly residents and assistance with issues such as transportation.

"There are certain things that municipalities can be doing to serve our elderly population, and I don't think in Canton that they're doing enough, and I think we can partner with area organizations," he said.

Cole also would like to increase police patrols in neighborhoods to improve safety and better street conditions and communication between city departments.

"You have to fulfill your needs before your wants, and I don't think the city's done that for quite some time," he said.

Louis Giavasis

Giavasis, 57, was a Plain Township trustee for nearly 24 years and served five years as the Stark County Clerk of Courts before losing his re-election bid in 2020. He is chairman of the Hall of Fame Concert for Legends committee and has served on multiple volunteer committees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival for the past 30 years.

Giavasis joined City Council in 2022.

"I'm running because I think there's a lot more that needs to be done," he said.

His second-term goals would be to improve safety, neighborhoods and streets. Giavasis said the city has done a "fantastic job" revitalizing the downtown and aiding Hall of Fame Village development but needs to invest more in residential neighborhoods and infrastructure.

"You got to modernize our infrastructure," he said. "If we're going to look at any type of future economic development, our infrastructure's pretty antiquated."

The city also has failed to ensure residents feel safe, Giavasis said. To help address the "root causes," he would like to see more city-run youth programs and suggested Canton employ younger residents to mow public right-of-ways.

Doug Prestier

Prestier, 69, is the owner of Doug Prestier Construction and a longtime member of the Building Industry Association of Stark and East Central Ohio. He was a past president and held multiple administrative roles in the association.

In 2021, Prestier ran against Canton Treasurer Kim Perez as an independent, saying he wanted more time to campaign than he would have had as a Democrat. He's attended council meetings for the past three years and wants to use his business, problem-solving and communication skills to serve city residents.

"I think that we really have to look at all nine wards, not just three or four of them, and I think we need to equally provide to each ward a fair amount of money that will help develop that ward," he said.

Prestier said he'd also work with the Police Department to find ways to increase trust among the younger population and curb gun crimes.

"I can't really make any promises to the voters other than I'll work as hard for them as I do myself," he said. "I'm one vote, but I'm willing to work with them, find the answers to their questions, hopefully be able to make some changes."

Nicholas Rinaldi

Rinaldi, 27, is an ironworker with Ironworkers Local 550 and has volunteered with political campaigns as a union member. He is a member of the Jefferson-Jackson Democratic Club of Stark County, the Democratic Woman's Club and previously served on the board of the Stark County Young Democrats for a few months.

Rinaldi's family has a long history in Canton politics. His father, John "J.R." Rinaldi, is on the Canton City School District Board of Education and is president of the Canton Board of Park Commissioners. His great-grandfather was one of the people who chartered Local 550 and his cousin, William V. Sherer II, is the Canton City Council president and campaigning for mayor.

"I always thought, as every kid does, I want no part of that," he said. "But as I got older and I started to grow up, I started to realize I wanted to make a difference somewhere."

Rinaldi said he wants at-large council members to be more active in neighborhood meetings and thinks the city's greatest challenge is overcoming its resistance to change. He'd like to organize neighborhood cleanups and promote a collective effort to revitalize Canton.

"We can't advance as a city as just one person," he said. "I can't do it alone. Anybody running for mayor can't do it alone. None of the residents can do it alone."

Rinaldi also is a member of the Canton Ex-Newsboys Association, the Greater Stark County Urban League, the NAACP and the Athletic Equipment Managers Association.

Crystal Smith

Smith, 41, owns a business to care for people with developmental disabilities and also operates an after-school program ― Project for Academic Excellence (PAX). She is a member of the Stark County Minority Business Association, serves on the Juneteenth Committee and has worked with the Greater Stark County Urban League.

Smith said she already considers herself a public servant and wants to improve people's lives on a "larger scale" in the community. She'd like to take office before defining specific goals but knows she'd want to provide more small businesses support and after-school programming.

"I can feel that the city's heading in a new direction, which is definitely something that's needed, and I want to be a part of it," Smith said.

Reach Kelly at 330-580-8323 or kelly.byer@cantonrep.comOn Twitter: @kbyerREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: 7 candidates want to serve at large on Canton City Council