Environmental Voters' Guide 2023
Introduction to Voters' Guide
​
Preserve the Valley compiled the following Environmental Voters’ Guide by asking each Akron Mayoral, At-Large and Ward Council candidates four questions as a Voter Service Activity.
Preserve the Valley (PTV) is a volunteer citizen action coalition dedicated to engaging and amplifying citizens’ voices in protecting and planning for the future of the Cuyahoga Valley region. We initially came together in the Fall of 2020 to oppose the City of Akron's request for high-end housing development proposals for the city-owned 45-acres of property above the Cuyahoga Valley known as Theiss Woods. For an overview of the project and environmental and infrastructure costs to the citizens of Akron, please see our Theiss Woods Brief. PTV and our followers were able to persuade the city to seek a sixth proposal which was submitted by the Western Reserve Land Conservancy to purchase the land for conservation at the city’s asking price. Read that conservation proposal here.
Candidates’ answers to our environmental questions are especially relevant in light of the findings from a poll of Akron citizens which found 62% of them reported they favor environmental sustainability over economic value as the focus of new housing development.
How were candidates' responses gathered? Each candidate was contacted using the email they provided to the Summit County Board of Elections. Two candidates did not provide that information, so they were sent a letter via the USPS. Four emails were kicked back as invalid. Two of those candidates were contacted by phone and messages left. The other two of were reached by phone and corrected their emails and were resent the questionnaire. All others who had not responded to our first email were sent reminders PRIOR to the March 3 deadline.
​
The four questions asked were:
1. How do you propose to increase citizen engagement in government decision-making? (not to exceed 500 words)
2. What steps do you believe should be taken to balance development with the protection of natural resources and the environment? (not to exceed 500 words)
3. Would you amend the current 15 year property tax abatement program to incentivize redevelopment in the urban core and remove incentives to greenspace development? Yes or No
4. Do you support 100% conservation for the 45 acres of Theiss Woods? Yes or No
Candidates were instructed they could use up to 500 words for the first two questions and that the word count would be strictly adhered to and ONLY the first 500 words will be reproduced and distributed to citizens. They were also told their answers will be reproduced VERBATIM without editing or corrections.
We received responses from:
5 of the 7 Mayoral Candidates
5 of 11 At-Large Candidates
6 of 17 Ward Council Candidates
Click on a Button To Read Responses From Candidates to the Four Questions:
When Preserve the Valley published this Voters' Guide, our Ward 1 candidate responses came from Nancy Holland and Jude Yovichin. When Sam DeShazior replaced Nancy Holland after her resignation in 2024, we asked him to answer the same questions. His answers are shown below.
Question 1: How do you propose to increase citizen engagement in government decision making?
DeShazior: As we begin to improve citizen engagement in governmental decision making, I believe we need to prioritize for this community the ideas that citizens most identify with as critical to their futures. From my prospective, our community must fully engage in the safety of our citizens, the education of the next generation and the protection of the environment. In the final analysis, it will be up to small groups of us to engage and interact with all the multi-ethnic and cultural diversities in regular forums to ensure that our ideas come to light. My prayer is that we can build a regular dialogue that can be transcribed in simple terms and that decision makers can understand and take actions upon.
​
Question 2: What steps do you believe should be taken to balance development with the protection of natural resources and the environment?
DeShazior: I believe that we have a duty to balance development and provide education to those who wish to invest in our community both from a residential and a production standpoint. For many years, profit was the sole motivator and driving force for most decisions and now we know better how to protect ourselves and plan. There are countless examples that we can emulate from throughout the world marketplace. In some cases, we have the cutting-edge process, however, we must also recognize that success lies in us being good stewards of a vibrant and productive economy that places high value in assuring a bright future with innovations that will last for the next century.
​
Question 3: Would you amend the current 15 year property tax abatement program to incentivize redevelopment in the urban core and remove incentives to greenspace development?
DeShazior: Yes, I would be willing to amend the program if it would also help to provide larger incentives for older structures to be prolonged.
​
Question 4: Do you support 100% conservation for the 45 acres of Theiss Woods?
DeShazior: Yes, I would like to see other alternatives before venturing into the new project.
​