Board of Elections certifies independent candidates for council races in Canton, Massillon

Paige Bennett, The Repository
·2 min read
Stickers await voters after they cast their votes on Election Day at Glenwood Center in Greensboro, N.C., Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014.
Stickers await voters after they cast their votes on Election Day at Glenwood Center in Greensboro, N.C., Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014.

The Stark County Board of Elections certified the petitions of four independent candidates competing in council races in Canton and Massillon in November during its regular meeting Monday.

The board certified Canton at-large candidate Richard Hart; Ward 2 candidate Veronica Earley; Massillon council president candidate Claudette Istnick; and Massillon Ward 4 candidate Jennifer Horner for the Nov. 7 general election.

Hart, a former Canton councilman, will compete against incumbent Democrats Louis Giavasis and James Babcock, Democrat Crystal Smith and Republican Kerry Jane Dougherty in the race for three at-large seats on Canton City Council.

Earley will challenge Democratic incumbent Brenda Kimbrough and Republican Patrick G. Wyatt in the Ward 2 council race.

Istnick, incumbent president of Massillon City Council, will face Democratic challenger J. David Ress and Republican Mike Slater in her bid for reelection.

In Massillon Ward 4, Horner will compete against incumbent Democrat Jill E. Creamer.

In other action, the board approved a polling location change for the Massillon Boys and Girls Club for the Aug. 8 special election because of extensive construction going on at the facility.

The move will affect 3,846 voters in Massillon precincts 5A, 5B, 5C and 6D. They will cast their ballots at St. Barbara Catholic Church at 2813 Lincoln Way E. That location already serves as a polling place for 3,562 voters. The distance between the two locations is about 3.1 miles.

Massillon Boys and Girls Club is expected to serve as a polling location again for the general election in November.

The board voted last month to consolidate a Canton polling location with another after a church decided to no longer be a polling place. It also permanently moved Perry Township precincts 11, 16 and 20 to Grace Fellowship following a church closure.

Reach Paige at 330-580-8577, pmbennett@gannett.com or on Twitter @paigembenn.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County Board of Elections certifies nonparty candidates for Nov. 7