Q&A with Canton mayoral candidate Willis Gordon
Editor's note: The Canton Repository is profiling the five Democrats facing off in the May 2 primary for Canton mayor. The Repository asked the candidates to complete a questionnaire and their answers will appear at CantonRep.com this week. Candidate profiles also will appear at CantonRep.com and in the newspaper. Republican Roy Scott DePew is unopposed in the Republican primary.
Here is the schedule:
Monday: Kimberly D. Bell
Tuesday: Willis Gordon
Wednesday: William V. Sherer II
Thursday: Bill Smuckler
Friday: Thomas West
Willis Gordon
Name: Willis Gordon
Age: 33
Current occupation: Founder, Willis Gordon Enterprises
What neighborhood do you live in: Burnham Hills
Education: GlenOak High School, Kent State University
Political party: Democratic
Political experience: 19 years field organizing, 10 years of political strategy, Obama campaign, Harbaugh campaign, Stark County Democratic Party. Policy advocate from NAACP.
Community involvement: Veteran's affairs chairman, Ohio NAACP. Board member, Stark Library Foundation, Plain Local Alumni Association, former political and community outreach chairman Stark NAACP.
Canton mayor's race: Willis Gordon thinks city is due for a turnaround
1. Why are you running for mayor?
I'm motivated to run for mayor of Canton because I love our city, and I have deep concerns about our future.
I'm concerned about the dramatic rise in violent crime and the steady loss of businesses and jobs. We have the second highest child poverty rate in the United States for cities our size, an unacceptable stat.
Our decaying neighborhoods, our shrinking population, and our complete crisis of confidence as a city are a glaring sign that it is time for a change.
These challenges require bold, new, energetic leadership. I possess the dedication, the know-how, and the courage that is needed to meet these challenges head on. I have never shied away from a challenge, whether it has been to serve and defend our country in a time of war in some of the most hostile regions in the world or protecting and promoting the welfare of our citizens of Canton.
Canton desperately needs new, strong, innovative leadership. The failed politics of the past just won't cut it.
2. What relevant experience qualifies you for the position? Please list three strengths, along with three weaknesses that you will have to overcome.
As far as qualifications, my time in the United States Navy. I have been tested on deployment in ways the other candidates have not. My military experience has been invaluable to my leadership, my ability to perform under pressure, and my perspective on problem solving.
Working for the county and running the Concealed Handgun Licensing office for our Sheriff's Department allowed me to become even more intimately familiar with state law, interact with different sections of the public, and understand the way law enforcement thinks.
At Ohio NAACP, I serve as veteran’s affairs chairman, from this position I am able to serve across the entire state of Ohio bringing people together. I fight for veterans every day, and advocate for policy. I support the current efforts to create a statewide Veteran’s Chamber of Commerce, and along with others I helped keep the Chillicothe VA Hospital from closing down last year.
Three strengths: Tireless dedication, energy, and the courage of my convictions. I will always fight to do the right thing for people, regardless of popularity.
Three weaknesses: Passion to succeed, impatience with failure, and a fierce sense of competition. These traits can serve in some instances, but mostly they have resulted in many sleepless nights over the years and are the main reason that I haven’t taken a vacation in over 10 years.
3. Is the city headed in the right or wrong direction?
Unfortunately, our city headed in the wrong direction.
Violent crime has increased by over 61% in the last 10 years. According to the FBI National Incident Based Reporting System, there were 2,122 violent crimes logged in 2014. In 2021, there were 3,418. The number of people charged with murder has more than doubled. Seven people were charged with murder in 2014, while 15 were charged in 2021, and that’s just the people that were charged, let alone the people who were killed.
Over one-third of our wards have 35% or more of their households living in poverty. Canton has the second highest child poverty rate in the United States among cities of our size. We have lost dozens of businesses and opportunities because of our stagnation and decline.
There must be a sense of urgency in our leadership. Canton can’t wait for inspired and innovative solutions.
4. What would be your top three priorities in your first year in office?
My top three priorities at the start of my administration would be improving public safety and reducing crime, kickstarting our economic development, and drastically improving our infrastructure.
5. The city has focused its attention on downtown, including Centennial Plaza, and the Hall of Fame in recent years. What are your plans, if any, to improve city neighborhoods?
I really believe that the quality of life of any community is determined by the vitality of their neighborhoods and residential areas. Canton is a city of neighborhoods, but our political leadership, in their haste to promote the Hall of Fame Village and downtown, has neglected our neighborhoods. As my great friend Deb Shamlin used to say, this is a “both/and” not and “either/or.”
We must ensure that our neighborhoods are safe, structurally sound, and pleasant to look at. In this context, I will institute a comprehensive Neighborhood Stabilization Plan with funds provided by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development grants and the state of Ohio.
6. What is your crime prevention plan?
I will turn the attention of the city back towards violent criminal offenders and reinstate the Gang Task Force to detect and remove the shooters from our streets.
I will also establish a Youth Corps for the city of Canton, which will provide educational opportunities, job programs, spiritual support, mental health counseling, drug counseling, and other programs to get our kids out of the street and back on track.
This current situation is completely unacceptable and my heart breaks for the families affected by this violence. Two days after I turned 18, my big brother was shot and killed. I know the pain these families are going through.
I know what senseless violence can do to a community, and no one will work harder than me to bring this crime wave to a swift end.
7. The Stark County NAACP has released numerous recommendations related to police reform following the fatal shooting of James Williams by a city police officer last year. Is police reform needed in Canton? If so, please offer some specific changes that you would advocate for.
Given the number of unfortunate incidents in Canton and places like it throughout the country, reform is needed.
In this context I am the only person in the race who has successfully achieved meaningful police reform. That’s because I recognize that reform is something you do with police, not to police.
In 2020, I sat down with the administrations in both Canton and North Canton in my capacity at NAACP and helped Canton become one of the first seven cities in America to be fully compliant with the 8 Can’t Wait reforms. We also banned the hiring of officers with a record of misconduct.
Police officers are entrusted with massive responsibilities that can have life and death impact on our citizens. Recognizing these realities, we have to provide them with the best professional training and resources in the exercise of their responsibilities.
We also have to unburden the police. We cannot expect them to be priest, psychologist, bodyguard, and babysitter. Bringing in additional resources and reforms is the most pro-police thing we can do.
Some specific reforms include:
Creating the Office of the Independent Police Auditor to ensure competent civilian oversight, protecting both the city, the citizens, and our officers.
Hiring mental health professionals to assist patrol officers when responding to mental health crises and domestic violence calls.
Fund police training programs to promote effective and appropriate police response tactics.
8. The city has provided millions of dollars to support the Hall of Fame Village development. Where do you stand on providing funding and/or financial incentives for this project?
We as a community have already made significant investments in this area.
At this juncture, we need a mayor who has the courage to negotiate a more beneficial financial arrangement with the leadership of the NFL and its billionaire owners. Our citizens cannot be expected to foot the bill on this project, given all the economic stress they are already going through.
9. How do you intend to encourage and grow economic development?
The mayor must act as the chief ambassador, advocate, and investor for the city. I will develop a new comprehensive economic development plan that, based upon my and my team’s experience, employs a national and international strategy of business recruitment.
To promote this plan, we will invest in high yield projects that enhance our attractiveness to large companies. For example, we will pursue funding for the establishment of a high-speed electric train which will connect Canton, Akron and Cleveland, creating jobs as well as creating a major regional metropolis. Also, we will provide affordable child care for every Canton resident to unlock our citizen’s economic potential, and also provide employers with a reliable workforce.
As part of this plan, I will promote the many lifestyle advantages that Canton possesses in comparison to its competitors: affordable housing, a low cost of living, quality institutions of higher learning, an award-winning park system, and a quality library system.
10. How important is the arts community to the future of Canton and what can the city do to support the arts?
You can have life without the arts, but you cannot have a society without the arts.
In all its forms, art enriches our lives, gets us through hard times, and inspires us to be more than we thought we could be. Canton has to support the arts with the usual grants, but we also need to partner with artists and the wonderful ArtsinStark when it comes to the beautification and restoration of our great city.
11. The City of Canton owns the Canton Memorial Civic Center, which opened in 1951. What do you see as the future of this facility, and should the city invest in upgrading the venue or building a new one?
I think the Civic Center should be one of the city’s crown jewels. Of course, it has fallen behind the times which is one reason why we have lost out on opportunity after opportunity over the last decade, including the Canton Charge which really hurt me as a sports fan.
I support the plan to invest in an upgrade to the building, preserving our history but bringing us into the 21st century where we can compete for popular events.
12. The perception is that talented, bright young people are leaving Canton. Do you have a plan to attract and keep bright young people in Canton?
Since 2001, the city of Canton has experienced a 12.9% drop in population, from 80,904 to 70,426. To put it bluntly, 97% of similarly sized cities are growing faster than us in population since 2000.
This is not just a perception — it is a fact. Our plan will fight back against this mass exodus in a number of ways.
Firstly, things like affordable child care and reliable public transportation attract and keep young people. Investing in and expanding broadband access will attract young professionals with options to work from home.
Another critical piece of keeping young people in our city is education and opportunity. As a part of our Youth Corps, we will institute the Canton College Scholarship Program. The goal of this program is to partner with local colleges and trade schools to ensure that every qualifying student who graduates from McKinley or GlenOak will have the means to attend college or vocational school through tuition forgiveness.
In return, these recipients will stay and work in their field here locally for five years. This will help fill the holes in our job market, and retain young people while giving them a brighter future. I think they’ll want to stay for the long haul.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Q&A with Canton mayoral candidate Willis Gordon
