Stow Group to Host Candidates Night Sept. 30

14th annual event to feature candidates ahead of Nov. 4 general election

The Stow Citizens for Non-Partisan Politics will host its Candidates Night on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 6:30 pm at Acker-Moore Memorial Post at 3733 Fishcreek Rd. in Stow.

Doors open at 6 pm and the event will take place from 6:30-8:30 pm.  The evening will feature candidates who are vying in several races in the Nov. 4 general election: Stow Municipal Court Judge, Stow Law Director, Stow City Council (three At-Large seats and four Ward seats), and Stow-Munroe Falls School Board (a special election for an unexpired seat and a regular election for two seats).

The format for the evening includes a two-minute introduction by each candidate followed by questions prepared in advance by the Candidates Night committee. Each candidate will answer the same questions relevant to their office. Unopposed candidates will not answer any questions.

The City of Stow’s elections are non-partisan. Stow CNP, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, has held a Candidates Night every year since its founding in 2011, with the exception of 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

 There are two candidates on the ballot for Stow Municipal Court Judge:  Amber Zibritosky, the city’s current Clerk of Courts, and Cynthia Curtin, who was appointed to the Municipal Court Judge seat in June by Gov. Mike DeWine after the removal of former Judge Kim Hoover. Judges serve six-year terms.

Current Stow Law Director Drew Reilly is running unopposed and will serve a four-year term.

There are five candidates for the three seats as Stow City Council At-Large: current Councilman and Council President Cyle Feldman; Councilman Kyle Herman; Councilman Jeremy McIntire; Josh Wall and Kim Young.

All but one of the city’s four Ward Council positions are uncontested this election cycle. Current Councilmen Matt Riehl (Ward 1), John Baranek (Ward 3) and Mario Fiocca (Ward 4) are running unopposed. In Ward 2, the candidates are current Councilwoman Kelly Coffey and former Councilwoman Sindi Harrison, who was beaten for the position by Coffey in 2023. All Stow council seats are for two-year terms.

For Stow-Munroe Falls School Board, there are four candidates for two seats that will expire in four years: Current board member and Board President Pamela Wind; former board member and Board President Jason Whitacre; and two former educators - Kathrine Dannemiller and John Moyer. School board members serve four-year terms.

The second school board race will be for an unexpired term that would end in 2027. The candidates are JoAnne Loparo and current board member Tina Merlitti, who was appointed to the position in January after the resignation of former Board President Nancy Binzel.