Documenters: Kent City Council meeting for July 16, 2025

Attending the July 16 Kent City Council meeting were Kent Mayor and President of Council Jerry Fiala, President Pro Tem and Ward 2 Council Member Jack Amrhein, Ward 1 Council Member Melissa Celko, Ward 3 Council Member Robin Turner, Ward 4 Council Member Chris Hook, Ward 5 Council Member Heidi Shaffer Bish, Ward 6 Council Member Jeff Clapper, Council At Large Member Michael DeLeone, Council At Large Member Gwen Rosenberg and Council At Large Member Roger Sidoti. Also in attendance were Clerk of Council Kathy Coleman, City Manager Dave Ruller and Law Director Hope Jones.

The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. and a statement was made to accommodate a public hearing for the continuation of the city’s DORA program. No public or council comments or questions followed the statement, so council went into an immediate executive session in order to vote on nominations for new resident additions to two city boards.

The executive session only lasted 10 minutes, and then the regular meeting reconvened with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Celko. This was followed by a public comment period.

Four members of the public, each a member of the Charter Review Board, took to the podium to use their time to express disappointment that the council voted not to advance three proposed changes to the charter at the last council meeting. The item that drew the most attention was a proposal on holding non-partisian elections. It had been suggested that this be put before the voters.

Resident Tom Mann shared that the Portage County election office states that 79% of county residents are unaffiliated. Chris Burger believed this proposed change would create more involvement in the election process from that group and bring “structural reform” to the ballot. Barb Springer suggested the council consider a sub-committee to review the three proposed changes in greater detail.

At the completion of the public comment period, meeting notes from the June 27 Standing Rock Cemetery Board and the July 3 Board of Health meetings were approved and entered into the record.

Fiala then asked the council to consider the consent agenda. The titles of resolution drafts 2025-056, 2025-057, 2025-058, 2025-059, 2025-060, 2025-061 and 2025-064 were read and heard without comment. As a group, any discussion was unanimously suspended and all were adopted.

Two board appointments were made during the meeting, both with unanimous consent. Christopher Seifert was named to the Board of Building Appeals and Cara Wolfgram Evans was named to the Fair Housing Board.

No reports were provided for the Community Development Committee, Health & Safety Committee, Land Use Committee or the Streets, Sidewalks and Utilities Committee.

During the new business portion of the meeting, council members took up the comments made by the public on the proposed changes to the city charter.

Amrhein proposed the creation of a subcommittee to take up the residents’ concerns to the charter changes that were not passed. Shaffer Bish expressed concern that this would only prolong the charter review process. DeLeone suggested that the items be looked at but by the committee as a whole, which would give everyone an opportunity to discuss the items and provide for a public discussion. After some discussion, this plan was adopted.

Sidoti, who was out of town when the meeting was held to review the proposed changes to the charter, spoke with disappointment that the non-partisian election question was not permitted to go to the voters. He said he felt the current system “veers into voter disenfranchisement and we can not be a group that divides people.” He added, “I guess you might fear you would lose power but giving power to others will make you more powerful.”

Hook, who said he had been a no vote on the issue, said “I fail to see how the current system limits independent candidates.” He added, “I hate being motivated by fear, but in this case, I am afraid of overcorrections.”

Turner, also a no vote, added “we need an electorate that is more informed and engaged. I don’t know that this process discourages those who don’t affiliate from participating but I think that this would discriminate against those who want to affiliate.”

Sidoti challenged members to make a motion to bring the issue back up for a vote. No members took him up.

The meeting ended when the council again went into executive session to review the city manager’s evaluation. Before closing the meeting, Fiala made a point of stating that he was an independent, just like the mayors before him. He told residents that if they had a petition to sign to bring the non-partisian election issue directly to the ballot, he would be the first signature. Sidoti offered to be the second.