Today is Nov. 5, 2025.

• Good morning! It’s going to be your typical mid-autumn day today: mostly cloudy and windy with a passing afternoon shower or two, with a high of 58 and a low of 35. Wind gusts are forecast to approach 40 mph, so you might want to batten down the hatches. Temps will then get progressively colder into next week, falling into the mid- to low 20s by Monday — with snow showers. We see you, winter.
  

• BACK TO OUR NORMAL SCHEDULE: After today’s newsletter, The Spotlight will return to its regular publishing schedule of hitting your inbox on Thursday mornings — for awhile, anyway (the holidays will skew things somewhat, but we’ll be sure to let you know of the changes). So look for the next edition of The Spotlight to arrive Thursday morning Nov. 13.
  

• CORRECTION: In The Spotlight’s Oct. 30 newsletter, we incorrectly reported that former Munroe Falls City Council Member John Impellizzeri resigned his position in August. Impellizzeri’s resignation took place in September.
  

• CITY OF STOW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: The City of Stow is hiring for the following positions: Lateral Transfer Police Officer, Plans Examiner (part-time contract position), Police Officer, School Crossing Guard (part-time position), School Resource Officer (part-time position) and Seasonal Recreation Aide - Parks & Recreation. Go here for more information.
  

• CITY OF MUNROE FALLS JOB OPENINGS: The City of Munroe Falls is hiring for the following positions: Police Officers (full- and part-time positions available), Leaf Pick-up Worker (full-time, seasonal) and Janitorial/Cleaning (part-time, permanent). Go here for more information and an application.
  

• “Reader Spotlight” is a forum where you can send us your comments, concerns and suggestions on anything going on in our communities of Stow, Munroe Falls and Silver Lake. Send your email to [email protected], put “Reader Spotlight” in the subject line, and please include your name and town (recommended but not required for publication). We will publish comments as we receive them.
  

• If you just subscribed or missed something in an earlier newsletter, don’t fret: Subscribers have access to every edition of The Spotlight at www.stowmunroefalls.com. Check out back issues to catch up on everything that’s going on in our communities — you never know what you might have missed!

⭐ Several stories in this issue are only available to premium subscribers: Veterans Day events, river cleanup, Stow Players opens, first wreath ceremony, armed forces banners, Stow bus trips and more local news. Get full access for just $2.99/month.

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Election

School board shakeup: Challengers Moyer and Whitacre capture SMF seats over incumbent Wind

The votes are in, and the headlines from the 2025 November General Election are:

• The Stow-Munroe Falls Board of Education will have a new look with challengers John Moyer and Jason Whitacre winning seats and incumbent Pamela Wind losing her reelection bid. Another incumbent, Antoinette East-Jenkins, opted not to seek election and was not on the ballot.

• Longtime Stow City Council Member Jeremy McIntire lost his At-Large seat to challenger Kim Young.

• Connie Collinson won the Ward 3 seat on Munroe Falls City Council, defeating John Impellizzeri, whose name was on the ballot although he had resigned from council in September.

• James Kurtz unseated Thomas DiCaudo in the Silver Lake Village Council District A race.

• Voters in Stow approved two charter amendments.

• And Summit County voters approved Issues 1 and 2, the latter of which will cap property tax increases at 3% annually.

Here’s a look at the unofficial results from the Summit County Board of Elections (note: election winners are in bold type, incumbents are in all caps):

CITY OF MUNROE FALLS:

• COUNCIL-AT-LARGE (vote for 2) — JIM IONA: 25% (531 votes); Chris Ritzinger: 32.16% (683 votes); Timothy M. Vesey: 21.75% (462 votes); Write-In: 21.09% (448 votes).

• WARD 1 COUNCIL (vote for 1) — ROSS WIDENOR (unopposed): 100% (304 votes).

• WARD 3 COUNCIL (vote for 1) — Connie Collinson: 69.88% (290 votes); John Impellizzeri: 30.12% (125 votes).

CITY OF STOW:

• DIRECTOR OF LAW (vote for 1) — DREW C. REILLY (unopposed): 100% (5,950 votes).

• COUNCIL-AT-LARGE (vote for 3) — CYLE FELDMAN: 22.89% (4,468 votes); KYLE HERMAN: 22.93% (4,475 votes); JEREMY MCINTIRE: 17.59% (3,433 votes); Josh Wall: 13.28% (2,592 votes); Kim Young: 23.31% (4,549 votes).

• WARD 1 COUNCIL (vote for 1) — MATT RIEHL (unopposed): 100% (1,385 votes).

• WARD 2 COUNCIL (vote for 1) — KELLY COFFEY: 64.27% (1,565 votes); Sindi Harrison: 35.73% (870 votes).

• WARD 3 COUNCIL (vote for 1) — JOHN M. BARANEK (unopposed): 100% (1,094 votes).

• WARD 4 COUNCIL (vote for 1) — MARIO FIOCCA (unopposed): 100% (1,328 votes).

VILLAGE OF SILVER LAKE:

• DISTRICT A COUNCIL (vote for 1) — THOMAS DICAUDO: 42.60% (95 votes); James Kurtz: 57.40% (128 votes).

• DISTRICT B COUNCIL (vote for 1) — KEVIN ROZSA (unopposed): 100% (136 votes).

• DISTRICT C COUNCIL (vote for 1) — PHILIP KAPLAN (unopposed): 100% (143 votes).

• DISTRICT D COUNCIL (vote for 1) — MATTHEW J. PLESICH (unopposed): 100% (145 votes).

STOW-MUNROE FALLS CITY SCHOOL BOARD:

• TO FINISH TERM THAT EXPIRES DEC. 31, 2027 (vote for 1): JoAnne Loparo: 38.88% (3,440 votes); TINA MERLITTI: 61.12% (5,407 votes). Portage County Board of Elections vote totals: JoAnne Loparo 30, Tina Merlitti 21.

• FOR FULL TERM (vote for 2) — Kathrine Dannemiller: 23.42% (4,010 votes); John Moyer: 28.41% (4,865 votes); Jason Whitacre: 26.38% (4,517 votes); PAMELA WIND: 21.78% (3,730 votes). Portage County Board of Elections vote totals: Kathrine Dannemiller 9, John Moyer 43, Jason Whitacre 39, Pamela Wind 11.

STOW MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGE:

• (Vote for 1): CYNTHIA CURTIN: 36.38% (15,282 votes); Amber Zibritosky: 63.62% (26,725 votes).

BALLOT ISSUES:

• #42 STOW PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT — Yes: 79.27% (6,019 votes); No: 20.73% (1,574 votes).

• #43 STOW PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT — Yes: 83.72% (6,254 votes); No: 16.28% (1,216 votes).

• SUMMIT COUNTY ISSUE 1 — PROPOSED TAX LEVY RENEW INCREASE (a renewal of the Summit County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board’s 2.95-mill levy, along with a 0.5-mill increase) — For the Tax Levy: 56.90% (57,168 votes); Against the Tax Levy: 43.10% (43,299 votes).

• SUMMIT COUNTY ISSUE 2 — PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT (would amend the Summit County Charter to place a limit of 2.2 mills on unvoted property taxes and prohibit an increase of property taxes greater than 3% annually) — Yes: 79.83% (78,282 votes); No: 20.17% (19,775 votes).

Spotlight on the Chamber

SMF Chamber encourages residents to “Shop Close to Home for the Holidays” and celebrate 60 years at Diamonds & Decades Party

By Julie McLain, Executive Director, Stow-Munroe Falls Chamber of Commerce

This holiday season, the Stow-Munroe Falls Chamber of Commerce is encouraging residents to Shop Close to Home and join in celebrating the Chamber’s 60th anniversary at the upcoming Diamonds & Decades Holiday Party.

Shop Close to Home for the Holidays is underway now through Dec. 31. The Chamber’s Shop Close to Home for the Holidays campaign encourages residents to support local retailers, restaurants and service providers throughout Stow and Munroe Falls. By keeping shopping dollars in the community, residents help local businesses grow and strengthen the region’s economic vitality.

“When you shop close to home, you’re supporting your neighbors, creating local jobs and helping our community thrive,” Julie McLain, executive director of the Stow-Munroe Falls Chamber of Commerce, said. “Our businesses are the heartbeat of Stow and Munroe Falls, and we hope everyone will make a conscious effort to shop local this holiday season.”

The campaign will feature spotlights of Chamber-member businesses on social media throughout November and December, reminding residents that everything they need this season can be found right here at home. In addition, shoppers can download a digital passport from our website to claim stamps at each participating business to earn prizes! Go to our website and follow us on social media to learn more about Shop Close to Home for the Holidays!

DIAMONDS & DECADES HOLIDAY PARTY

To wrap up a milestone year, the Chamber will host its Diamonds & Decades Holiday Party from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12 at The Center: Events and Catering, located at 4157 Hudson Dr. in Stow.

The event will celebrate 60 years of business leadership and community partnership in Stow and Munroe Falls. Members, partners and friends of the Chamber are invited to enjoy an evening of food, drinks, music and fellowship as the organization reflects on six decades of service and looks ahead to the future.

“This is a special celebration for everyone connected to the Chamber,” McLain said. “It’s not just about looking back at 60 years of accomplishments — it’s about celebrating the people and businesses that make our community such a great place to live and work.”

Tickets are $35 per person and include heavy hors d’oeuvres, desserts and one drink ticket. Reservations can be made online at www.smfcc.org. Sponsorship packages are still available for this fun event.

For more information about the Shop Close to Home campaign or the Diamonds & Decades Holiday Party, visit www.smfcc.org or follow @StowMunroeFallsChamber on Facebook and Instagram.

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