ThisWeek CW 10/8/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/10/05/mayors-race-uncontested-after-paini-withdraws.html

Canal Winchester Mayor Michael Ebert will run uncontested on the Nov. 3 ballot after challenger Victor Paini unexpectedly withdrew from the race.

Paini surprised supporters at what was supposed to be a campaign fundraiser Sept. 30 with the announcement that he no longer would seek election.

His name still will appear on the ballot in Franklin and Fairfield counties, but votes for him won’t count.

Susan Bloom, Fairfield County Board of Elections director, said signs would be posted at all voting stations and notices would be inserted in all absentee ballots that are mailed.

Ben Piscitelli, Franklin County Board of Electionsspokesman, said the same process would apply in Franklin County.

Paini declined to speak directly to ThisWeek about the decision, but sent a press release citing work responsibilities as his reason for withdrawing from the race.

“I owe it to my family, my company and the community to make this decision,” he said in the press release. “I’m proud of my service to Canal Winchester and Madison Township and I’ll continue to serve this great community.

“In fact, I recently joined the boards of the BrockStrong Foundation and Motts Military Museum, so there is no shortage of projects to work on.”

Paini currently serves as a Madison Township trustee, is a member of the Canal Winchester Landmarks Commission and is a representative to the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. He intends to remain in those roles.

In responses to questions from ThisWeek before he withdrew from the race, Paini made it clear a top issue for him would be to bring in a city manager and shift many of the full-time mayoral responsibilities to that person. He said if he were elected, he would cut his own pay in order to provide funding to hire a city manager.

Incumbent Ebert, also responding to questions from ThisWeek, said his record speaks for itself.

“We have 47 new businesses and more on the way, one with its USA headquarters coming here; more than 10 businesses expanded their Canal Winchester operations to make way for additional customers,” he said. “We never cut any services to our residents even during the recession.”

He said he wants to continue to “lead the team of professionals I have assembled” but acknowledged that finances are something city officials must monitor.

“Budgeting is always an issue, even in the best of times,” Ebert said. “Go back a few years to when gasoline first hit the $4 mark and the economy was good. I watched the market very closely and I felt that it didn’t appear gas was going down any time soon. Even though that was the only indicator of a severe downturn, I had all city departments cut back on spending immediately. We continued that practice into early 2011, saving residents hundreds of thousands of dollars without increasing taxes.

“Not many communities today can say they reacted as quickly as we did, and by doing so, we’re in great financial shape today.”