5 competing for 3 at-large Eastlake City Council seats
Three at-large seats on Eastlake City Council will be decided in the Nov. 2 election and they have attracted five candidates — Todd Gulley, Chris A. Krajnyak, Angela Schmidt, Michael Semick and Logan Shreves.
All five candidates are running for four-year terms beginning Jan. 1. Members of council receive $721.44 per month while the council president receives $821.44 per month.
Gulley and Schmidt are seeking election, having been appointed to fill council vacancies.
The third seat is open after Councilman Jim Overstreet filled the Ward 1 seat vacated by Michael Zuren.
Dennis Morley is also on the ballot. He is unopposed for mayor.
Currently, there are 12,263 registered voters in Eastlake who are eligible to cast ballots. Here are some of the answers that candidates provided in response to questionnaires sent to them by The News-Herald: If Gulley wins one of the three at-large seats, there is one area that he would like to research, which have the following components: the number of jobs available in Eastlake and how many Eastlake residents are looking for work to find employment or a job closer to home.
“I would like to bridge the gap between those looking for work and those looking for workers,” Gulley said. “As I have served in this country in the Army, as well as the city these past two years, I will continue to serve the people of Eastlake with integrity.”
If she wins a seat, Krajnyak plans to expand crime prevention, develop a neighbor medication program, incorporate crime prevention through environmental design into planning guidelines and expand the Security Registration and Mapping program.
“Crime prevention is in the hands of individuals and we have the ability to create a safer community through proven applications of CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design), education and personal accountability,” Krajnyak said. “Our first responders are heroes and deserve our support. I will work diligently to utilize available funding to increase the police budget to increase staff.”
If elected, Schmidt will continue to work with council and the administration to keep moving Eastlake
forward and will listen to concerns of residents and businesses, parks and green space. “I believe when we invest in these, it gives the community more opportunity to relax, improve their wellbeing and to connect with each other,” she said.
Schmidt said she will also focus on improving the quality of life and benefiting the community as a whole, as well as seek out available grants and sponsorships. “I will continue my efforts of promoting Eastlake businesses,” she said. “When small businesses are successful, the whole community benefits.”
Should Semick be elected, he plans to improve the lines of communication between the city and residents, work to further develop the city’s parks and recreation and work with members of council and the mayor to continue bringing in new businesses.
“Eastlake has potential,” Semick said. “We need to improve green spaces and parks we currently have, as well as improve and continue to add new programs for our residents. Not only would this help bring people to our community, but it would help bring unity within our community.”
If elected, Shreves plans to tackle the Eastlake poverty rate, market the city’s image and further research cryptocurrency and blockchain technology for the city. “We are a technologically driven world, and as a municipality, we ought to follow suit,” Shreves said. “That begins with advertising our city as a commodity and desirable place to reside.”
Shreves believes that the strength of any city is how strong and stable their investments and cash flow are. “We need to explore the option and come to the notion collectively that digital assets such as Bitcoin are indeed their own asset class,” Shreves said.
“Investing in one of these asset classes may take our financial health to a new level.