Stow City Council appoints former member to fill vacancy

Phil Keren, Akron Beacon Journal
·1 min read
Matt Riehl, a former Stow City Council member, has been appointed to fill the Ward 1 seat, left vacant by the death of Dennis Altieri. Altieri died shortly after he was reelected to his Ward 1 seat in the November election.
Matt Riehl, a former Stow City Council member, has been appointed to fill the Ward 1 seat, left vacant by the death of Dennis Altieri. Altieri died shortly after he was reelected to his Ward 1 seat in the November election.

STOW — A familiar face has been selected to join city council.

Council on Thursday voted 4-2 to appoint Matt Riehl to serve as the new Ward 1 council member. Council members Cyle Feldman (at large) and Dave Licate (at large) cast the dissenting votes. Licate said he felt council should've interviewed the people who applied for the vacancy.

Riehl, who served on city council from 2008 to 2020 and as both president and vice president, was one of nine people who applied for the Ward 1 vacancy. He will serve as Ward 1 council member for the entirety of the office's two-year term.

Due to term limits, Riehl did not run for reelection in November 2019.

More: Nine residents apply to fill Dennis Altieri's Stow Ward 1 seat

The position was vacant due to the unexpected death of Dennis Altieri, who died in November shortly after he was reelected to represent Ward 1 and before he was sworn into his second term.

More: 'A community icon:' Stow Councilman Dennis Altieri, former owner of Altieri's Pizza, dies

Reporter Phil Keren can be reached at 330-541-9421, pkeren@thebeaconjournal.com, or on Twitter at @keren_phil.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Stow City Council appoints former member to fill vacancy