Stow Council Vice President Sara Drew Running for Mayor

Stow City Council Vice President Sara Drew confirmed the rumors are true, she is planning to run for mayor this November.

Drew, 40, said she pulled her petitions at the Summit County Board of Elections and plans to file to run for the mayor's seat. The deadline to file is June 15.

Mayor Karen Fritschel will be leaving office at the end of 2011 and will not seek re-election because of term limits.

Drew said "I have been very fortunate to serve our community and I would like to continue serving the community in a new capacity."

She is in her sixth year on council and said she feels the experience is necessary to run for the mayor's job.

"I think its very important as a government, that we have someone who understands how local government works — who has been part of that process, who knows how to get things done," Drew said.

One of the benefits to being on council, she explained, is that "people can look at my track record."

In three terms, Drew said she has helped plan the redevelopment of the former Kmart plaza, served as co-chair of the redevelopment committee to look at ways to bring in new tenants to vacant properties and has been a proponent of joint economic development districts with Cuyahoga Falls and Hudson, among other things.

She is currently the planning and economic development council committee chair and said she wants to "continue to emphasize economic development as a way to responsibly grow the city, create jobs and provide a strong, varied tax base."

If elected, Drew said she isn't interested in making any drastic changes as the city's highest executive, but she does have some new plans in mind.

"I'm not interested in making radical changes, I think the city is well-run," she said. "But, with that said ... there's some things I’d like to do. I feel very strongly that we need to ramp up the work that’s already done to modernize how the city does business by increasing our paperless initiative and making sure we’re using all the forms of social media, in addition to keeping traditional things in place."

The biggest issue facing the city?

Drew said she believes the most difficult issue in Stow is "continuing to deal with the need to provide services, coupled with the reality of diminished revenues and fewer staff people to provide those services."

If elected, she said she does not have plans to advocate for an increase in city taxes and does not plan to go in and cut employees.

"I am committed to continuing to work this year to make sure we encraft a budget for 2012 and to be responsive and efficient to provide services that the residents expect," she said.

The mayor currently makes $90,215 annually, according to Finance Director John Baranek. Council is currently discussing . Drew is proposing both salaries be cut by 10 percent and the $15,400 a year savings would be shared between employees in the city who are underpaid and the city's unencumbered funds (a city savings account).

Sara Drew is a service coordinator and case manager for the Summit County Developmental Disabilities Board. She has a bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University and a master's degree from the University of Colorado. Drew has lived in Stow since 1998 with her daughter Lindsay, a student.

For more information, visit Sara Drew's campaign website or email her at drewforstow@aol.com.

For more election coverage, keep checking back with Stow Patch.