Voters to elect new Canton City Council president
CANTON − City residents will elect a new council president this year.
Council President William V. Sherer II is campaigning for mayor instead of seeking re-election. Democratic candidates Kristen Bates Aylward and Vince Watts are competing to fill his seat.
There are no Republican candidates for council president, so the May 2 primary election likely will determine the winner of the two-year term unless an independent candidate joins the race. The council president receives an annual salary of about $22,560, according to the Auditor's Office.
Who is Kristen Bates Aylward?
Bates Aylward, 62, was the city law director from 2018 to 2022. She cited personal reasons, such as wanting to spend more time with her first grandchild, when she retired from the full-time "demanding job."
"I was actually looking for a public service job that I could do to give back to Canton," Bates Aylward said.
She respected former council president Allen Schulman and Joseph Martuccio, the former city law director who unsuccessfully ran for the council presidency. Bates Aylward said she concluded that the post would be an ideal way to serve the city.
Bates Aylward worked in the Stark County Prosecutor's Office from 1980 to 2005 as an assistant criminal prosecutor, a civil attorney and as chief of the juvenile and civil divisions. She then was deputy chief counsel at the Canton Law Department before she was law director.
Her main priority would be to lead efficient council meetings in which the public can participate and expects her legal background and knowledge of council procedures to help.
"My other priorities are going to be things that, because I can't vote unless it's a tie, that I will still encourage are priorities I've had all along," she said. "Our parks are a huge priority for me, as are our public safety forces and public confidence in those force."
Bates Aylward is a member of the Jefferson-Jackson Democratic Club of Stark County, Democrat Woman's Club, NAACP and is a supporter of the Stark County Humane Society and Stark County dog warden.
Who is Vince Watts?
Vince Watts, 60, led the Greater Stark County Urban League from September 2008 to July 2015 and has served on several community boards. He attempted to challenge Mayor Thomas Bernabei in the 2019 primary election but the Board of Elections rejected his petition for lack of valid signatures.
Since the mayor is not running for re-election, Watts said, he wants the council president position to aid cooperation between the future mayor and City Council.
"I'm OK with someone else filling that role, but I wanted to be a part of the process," he said.
Watts previously served on the Stark State College advisory board and the Aultman College of Nursing board. He also served on committees for the United Way of Greater Stark County and the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce.
"Just about all of the local organizations, the larger ones, I've been involved with at one time or another," Watts said.
He wants to improve job opportunities and infrastructure and address poverty and crime by working with the council and city administration to engage the community.
The council president has the law director to their left and the council clerk to their right each Monday night to help with the procedural aspects of the role. Watts said he would add insight from working with nonprofits, health care and the school district.
"What's missing is somebody with that heart for the community," he said.
Reach Kelly at 330-580-8323 or kelly.byer@cantonrep.comOn Twitter: @kbyerREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Voters to elect new Canton City Council president
