Don Daughterty Jr. is a political newcomer hoping to fill one of Stow's City Coucil At-Large positions.

Daughterty, 53, is one of seven running in the Sept. 13 primary. 

Although a political newcomer, Daughterty said he is running because he feels there is an injustice to Stow residents he would like to fix.

"The lack of information provided to our to our citizens by this current administration is an injustice. It's time to improve the way the city has been run. Everyone in the community should be informed of all issues that may affect us. It is unfortunate that the current administration in Stow have fallen into the ‘same old, same old’ way of governing this city."

One area Daughterty says he plans to focus on if elected is "wasteful" spending.

"Wasteful spending projects/decisions, such as unnecessary road widening deemed as safety issues, which are based on traffic studies three to four years old, in order to procure government funds, deplete monies that can be better used to support our safety forces," he said. "Common sense measures and approaches should be used."

If elected, Daughterty will sit behind the desk instead of in the crowd during council meetings and he said he wants to make residents feel comfortable to attend meetings.

"Citizens should feel free to attend council meetings without feeling intimidated and know that their concerns will be heard, and considered instead of the extremely non­-transparent system."

To fix some of the problems in Stow, Daugherty said if elected he has a few goals in mind.

"Help achieve a balanced budget without raising taxes. It is time to curb the borrowing by the city administration for unnecessary projects," he said. "I will work diligently to bring our safety forces back to the levels that are necessary for a city this size."

Other goals include improving infrastructure, keeping existing business in Stow and attracting new businesses to the community.

Although Daugherty is pledging to fix some of the problems he sees in the city, he said he is interested in running because he enjoys the friendly citizens and generally peaceful community.

"We do not have violent crime issues that other cities have," he said.

This is Daugherty's first attempt at political office, but he says he has the experience necessary to be a public servant. 

"I have been a problem solver all of my life. I have the ability to assess problematic situations and develop different approaches as to how it may be fixed," he said. "Throughout my career in manufacturing, I have always been one of the people my employers have looked to, to solve problems, increase efficiency and cut costs, without sacrificing the quality of the end product or result."

Don Daughterty Jr.is a Journeyman Machinist for Valv-Trol in Stow. He is a 1975 graduate of Hudson High School. He attended the University of Akron for continuing education, supervisory skills 1,2,3 and AutoCAD 1,2,3. supervisory skills 1,2 and 3. He and his wife have lived in Stow for 24 years. They have one daughter and three grandchildren.

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