Our Endorsement on Summit County Council District 3
Licate Temperament, Experience, Track Record Make Him the Better Candidate
Next Tuesday’s election pits two Stow residents – David Licate and Jeremy McIntire -- against each other for a Summit County Council position that will represent the residents of Stow, Munroe Falls, Hudson, Silver Lake and Boston Heights.
Summit County Council, which serves the 31 communities in the county, is responsible for a broad array of vital services, including economic development, site selection and financing for businesses; the Department of Jobs and Family Services; Children’s Services; the Summit County Jail; Department of Public Health, ADM Board (Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services); Prosecutors’ Office and Courts; Public Libraries; Summit County Metroparks system; Medical Examiner’s office; Public Safety and more.
Below is pertinent information on both candidates’ qualifications and prior legislative records, as well as our endorsement.
Qualifications
David Licate
David Licate has qualifications that are well-suited for County Council. As the Chair of Criminal Justice Studies at the University of Akron, he has:
Educated criminal justice professionals on the most effective crime-reduction practices;
Collaborated with criminal justice, emergency management and homeland security agencies;
Advised school districts and public safety agencies on safety practices.

He served on the Stow Board of Education from 2016-2019, including as its president in 2016, and as a Stow City Councilman in 2022-2023. He has volunteered on a number of impactful committees that have made important contributions to our community and enhanced the breadth of his experience, including Stow’s School Safety Committee, Northern Ohio Violent Crime Consortium, Public Safety Services Commission, Schools Facilities Committee and Chamber Economic Development Committee.
Most recently, he has collaborated with the Summit County Sheriff’s office to provide free seminars to senior citizens on how to recognize and avoid scams.
His education includes:
Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Criminal Justice;
Ph.D. in Public Policy, for which he wrote a dissertation on “Innovation and Organizational Change in Ohio Police Departments”;
Graduate Certificate in Critical Infrastructure Protection from Texas A&M Engineering Extension.
At the Stow Candidates’ Night on Oct. 8 at the Acker-Moore Memorial Post, Licate cited among his priorities for Summit County Council:
Improved public safety – coordination of local, state and federal agencies to make communities and families safer, reduce repeat offending, and help families impacted by gun violence, poverty and drug addiction.
Using public resources to prioritize cost-effective, results-driven programs for the most vulnerable populations in our communities, including seniors, those with food insecurity, mental health challenges and disabilities.
Jeremy McIntire
Jeremy McIntire served in the U.S. Army from 2007-2008, where he was deployed to Iraq and honorably discharged after being injured in combat. He continued his service in the National Guard from 2008 to 2014 and was medically retired from injuries sustained during his active duty.

McIntire earned a BS in Construction Engineering Technology and a Master of Public Administration degree.
He has worked in the road construction industry since 2013, first with the Ohio Department of Transportation and currently as a senior project manager for a consulting and engineering firm.
McIntire was elected to Stow City Council in 2019 and served as Council Vice President from 2020-2021 and President from 2022-2023.
His legislative achievements while on council have largely focused on increasing governmental transparency and road construction and maintenance.
On his website, McIntire says his priorities for Summit County Council are to reduce taxes, bring much needed capital improvements and hold government accountable.
McIntire did not appear at the Stow Candidates Night to further explain to voters why they should elect him to Summit County Council.
Legislative Record
There are several areas in their public service where the two men’s legislative track records clearly differ, giving an indication of how they would govern on County Council.
Public Safety
Regional Dispatch Center
Prior to being elected to Stow City Council, Licate helped launch a citizen-led initiative to get a Charter Amendment on the ballot for residents to vote on whether the city should join a regional dispatch center. The effort was endorsed by Stow Police Chief Jeff Film and Fire Chief Mark Stone as well as Stow dispatchers and was approved by voters in 2020.
While on council, Licate pushed council to authorize the city to join that initiative, despite efforts by some council members, including McIntire, to slow-walk the process before finally approving it just prior to the final deadline. At the time of the final vote, McIntire said he would approve it even though he didn't see the benefit of Stow joining.
Drug Addiction Prevention
Last year, Licate sponsored legislation, along with Chief Film and Law Director Drew Reilly, to use the funds from a federal opioid lawsuit settlement to hire a drug addiction counselor at Stow-Munroe Falls High School, which, according to Chief Film, already has resulted in life-saving intervention for at least 9 students since the program’s implementation in April. In a city council dominated by Republicans, McIntire was the only member to vote against that program. It passed 5-1; Councilman Brian Lowdermilk was absent.
Funding of Police & Fire
As Council President in 2023, McIntire repeatedly tabled legislation for more than five months to provide merit raises to the police and fire chiefs, assistant fire chief and police captains, as well as other non-union city employees who had not received pay raises in 15 years.
Licate fought to get the pay raises approved. After five months of delay and additional negotiation between Ward 2 Councilwoman Sindi Harrison, McIntire and the administration, which resulted in updated legislation that reduced the amount of the raises, the legislation was approved on a 4-2 vote. After participating in the negotiations, McIntire and Ward 4 Councilman Mario Fiocca ultimately voted against the pay raises for the first responders and other city employees.
Green Space Conservation and Public Parks
McIntire has shown a lack of interest in supporting city efforts to preserve green space and has oftentimes obstructed efforts on park funding. Below are two examples.
Free Land Lost
In September, the City of Stow had the opportunity to acquire 39 acres of wetlands at no cost other than approximately $10,000 for closing costs through a grant that would have been arranged through the Western Reserve Land Conservancy.
City Council was presented a resolution on Sept. 12 to approve the application for the grant, which was due by Sept. 13. A representative from the Western Reserve Land Conservancy was at the meeting to field questions and was prepared to file the grant application upon approval of the resolution.
McIntire, along with fellow Republican Fiocca, blocked council from approving the grant on a technical vote that prevented council from approving the resolution that evening. McIntire’s vote single-handedly prevented the city from acquiring the free land.
Needless Delays on SKiP Park
It took the city 6 years to rebuild SKiP Park as a result of council obstruction led, in part, by McIntire. During that time, McIntire and others on council fought with the administration over the costs and control of the project, even though the mayor had secured all the funding necessary for the rebuild through private donations.
While Licate was not on City Council for the wetlands or SKiP Park discussions, he supported the administration’s Parks & Recreation Master Plan while he was on council.
Throughout the time that they both served on Stow City Council together, Licate showed an inclination to collaborate and work toward pragmatic solutions on matters that impacted the lives of Stow residents, while McIntire burnished his reputation for obstructing the administration at every turn. See the story about McIntire's attempt to force the city to spend $80,000 on a state audit it didn't need and Licate's opposition to the ill-fated effort.
For all the reasons above, we believe there is a clear choice on which person would best serve the needs of Stow, Hudson, Munroe Falls, Silver Lake and Boston Heights on Summit County Council.
Our endorsement for this race goes to David Licate.