Council candidates bring municipal background
By Jeff Gallatin
North Olmsted
Published Oct. 28, 2009

Both candidates for Ward 2 in North Olmsted believe their own brand of municipal experience will draw voters to them.

Incumbent Paul Barker cites his current status as second in seniority among the seven council ward and at-large members. Prior to that, Barker, who owns and operates a small business, spent several years as a citizen attending thousands of various municipal meetings, before becoming a member of the citizens Community Development Block Grant panel and the city’s historical preservation board.

Challenger Patrick Kelly spent more than 20 years as a city of Westlake Police Officer. Kelly was a patrolman who in addition to regular patrol duties served as a firearms instructor, was on the area bomb squad and served on other tactical units through the years. Kelly also was appointed several months ago to the North Olmsted Charter Review Commission.

In the North Olmsted council ward races, Ward 2 is the only contested race with Ward 1, 3 and 4 reps, Lou Brossard, Nicole Dailey Jones and Larry Orlowski all unopposed for re-election.

Barker was appointed to council in 2005 when his predecessor John Dailey took a director’s post in the O’Grady administration. Barker was unopposed in the 2005 balloting for council.

In seeking re-election, Barker said he wants to continue work he and fellow city officials have gotten done for residents.

“We’ve had a lot going on not only in the ward, but the entire city,” he said.

Barker cites the extensive road project on Clague Road as well as other street and municipal improvements the last few years. He also notes that he has been busy with flooding and other water related issues the last few years.

“We’ve worked pretty hard on those the last few years and will continue to do so,” he said.

In noting the city has had layoffs and other financial issues in the last few years, he said, he and his fellow council members have tried to do what they think best.

“We took a leadership role in getting pay cuts for ourselves and other officials starting next term, which is the soonest we could do it,” he said. “We also heard about other possible layoffs or a change in the tax rate for city residents people who work outside the city and we got the administration to look within the city and stop that.”

Kelly said he became involved because of the layoffs of city police, fire and service workers at the beginning of this year.

“I’m very concerned about that,” he said. “I know what safety means to people, both as an officer and as a citizen. It’s not something you can take lightly. Particularly in a city like North Olmsted, where you have not only a strong residential base but a huge business population because of all the people who work here during the day.”

Kelly said he will work on ways of protecting the existing safety forces jobs and resources. He said he wants to look at ways of spurring economic growth to provide needed funds for the city.

As a member of the Charter Review Commission, Kelly said he would like that panel and the city to examine possible changes which could save the city money and make it run more efficiently.

“There are other cities around the area that don’t have a separate safety director,” he said. “the mayor’s serve in that post, it’s something I think we can consider here.”