William Sherer clinches Democratic Canton mayor candidacy

CANTON − William V. Sherer II emerged victorious from the five-person field of Democratic mayoral candidates.

He celebrated his win Tuesday night at the Conestoga Grill with numerous supporters. Sherer repeatedly said he was tired after campaigning until the end. He thanked the people who contributed to his campaign for their support.

"We wanted to run a full campaign, and that's what we did," he said.

Before knowing the outcome, Sherer said that he wouldn't underestimate his Republican opponent, Roy Scott DePew, if he won the primary. He planned to begin preparing soon for the general election. DePew was unopposed in the GOP primary.

"That is going to start tomorrow," Sherer said.

The last time Canton had a Republican mayor was in 2007.

Democratic Mayor Thomas Bernabei is in his second four-year term and did not seek re-election. He endorsed Bill Smuckler, praising his extensive experience on City Council.

Sherer received 1,669, or 34.26%, of the votes, according to the Stark County Board of Elections' unofficial results. Thomas West, a former Ward 2 councilman and state representative, brought in 32.90%, while Smuckler, a current at-large councilman, collected 22.93% of the vote.

Willis Gordon came in fourth at 6.69%, and Kimberly D. Bell received 3.22% of the votes.

West served for 13 years as the Ward 2 city councilman before being elected to the 49th Ohio House District in 2016. He lost his state re-election bid last year, and his mayoral campaign came to an end at Starz, where he and several council candidates had an election watch party.

Early in the evening, West said he was thankful for his team of "grassroots" supporters.

"We laid it all out," he said about his campaign. "We didn't focus on dollars. We focused on people."

Smuckler spent the evening awaiting results with supporters at Grapes in a Glass. He has been an at-large councilman since 2014, and his current term ends this year. He has served more than 30 years in total on City Council and previously campaigned for mayor twice before.

At his watch party, Smuckler said he's worked hard at everything he's done and the campaign was all-consuming. He noted the dismal weather and inability to predict the turnout and election results.

Finance reports: William Sherer, Bill Smuckler top Dems mayoral field in money raised, spent

Sherer's appeal

Sherer has been City Council president since December 2018. He is a lifelong Canton resident and currently lives in the northwest Ward 8.

All the candidates promised voters that they would invest in neighborhoods and make Canton safer and more prosperous. Sherer's plans include an annual listening tour in each city quadrant, the expansion of police bicycle and walking patrols, increased street paving, and an aggressive approach to economic development using annexation and tax incentives.

Sherer is the business manager, financial secretary and treasurer for Ironworkers Local 550 but previously said he would resign if elected mayor. He also is vice chairman of the Stark County Democratic Party.

Several of his supporters who joined him at the Conestoga Grill were elected officials, Ironworkers or family friends.

Randy DePasquale, a member of the Ironworkers Union, said he's known Sherer for 34 years as a man who does what he says. Sherer treats union members "like family" and cares about the city's residents.

"We need somebody like him in Canton," DePasquale said.

Nancy Pergins, whose father knew Sherer's father, said he will bring a youthful perspective to the office. She thinks Sherer will create more jobs and fix potholes as mayor.

"He's a great guy," she said.

Cari McDermott, who attended McKinley Senior High School with Sherer and is vice president of the Democratic Woman's Club of Canton, said his trade and union background will help him address poverty. She knows him as a giving man who has gotten a feel for what the city needs as council president.

"I think that he has a lot to offer," McDermott said.

Casting votes

At a polling site at Bell H. Stone Elementary on Rowland Avenue NE, voters were far and few between in the morning hours.

Despite it being May, the unseasonably raw weather likely played a part in depressing turnout for the Democratic primary.

Bruno Settimio and his wife, Regina, said they supported Smuckler.

"I like his record on Council, and I think he's good for business," he said. "Our main concern is, we want Canton to be a great place for everyone."

Helen Hampton said she voted for West. "We need a change," she said.

A voter who would only identify himself as "Paul" said Sherer was his mayoral choice. "I trust him before I trust Smuckler," he said.

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

Reporter Charita Goshay contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: William Sherer clinches Democratic Canton mayor candidacy