Summit County Council primary results: Jeremy McIntire beats incumbent Gloria Rodgers

Summit County Council is guaranteed to have at least a couple new faces next year.

Voters in District 3 picked challenger Jeremy McIntire over incumbent Gloria Rodgers in the Republican primary Tuesday to move onto the November general election.

McIntire, a current Stow councilman, will face David Licate, a former at-large Stow councilman who is running unopposed on the Democratic side.

In District 8, Matt Shaughnessy defeated Rick Justice in the Democratic primary. He will face attorney Joseph Kacyon, the only Republican candidate in the race to succeed Councilman Anthony DeVitis, who opted not to seek re-election.

And in District 5, Brandon Ford, who was recently selected to complete Veronica Sims' term, won the race for the Democratic nomination, winning by over 2,000 votes. Ford will face unopposed Republican Cynthia Blake in November.

Here's how those three races contested races shaped up:

District 3

McIntire defeated Rodgers by a little over 1,000 votes. He has 3,685 votes compared to 2,563 for Rodgers.

"I want to thank the Republican voters for showing up today and making me the Republican candidate for the November election, these voters saw the stagnant leadership in place and they are looking forward to new change for District 3," McIntire said. "I'm looking forward to a spirited race this November and I just want to bring the change to the district that the district deserves."

Rodgers, a long-time Stow resident and nurse for the Portage Path Emergency Services, has served on a number of council committees, including Long Term Planning and the Rules Committee. Outside of council, she serves on the Opiate Task Force as well as the Ohio Jail Advisory Board.

McIntire, an Iraq War veteran and member of Stow's City Council since 2019, said he believes change is needed in County Council. He said voters should look his way due to his experience in City Council, as well as his bring fresh ideas for council.

District 3 includes Boston Heights, Hudson, Stow, Silver Lake and parts of Cuyahoga Falls.

District 5

The District 5 seat is up for grabs this fall after Sims' recent appointment to the the Ohio House.

Ford won with 3,249 votes compared to 1,196 for opponent Ralph Paulk.

Ford decided he wanted to run for election in order to give back to the place that has molded him to be the person he is today. Although this is Ford's first campaign for public office, he said he believes he can continue the good work that County Council is currently doing.

Having proper access to care and feeling safe in your own neighborhood were two areas of emphasis for Ford as he campaigned for the Democratic nomination.

Paulk is a Fairlawn resident who has served more than 30 years as a sports and investigative reporter, including for the Akron Beacon Journal, where he part of the team awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1994. Although this is his first time running for political office, Paulk sees himself as a man of the community, someone who cherishes working with and for the public.

District 5 includes Copley, Fairlawn and parts of Akron.

District 8

Shaughnessy, an attorney and retired firefighter, won his race over Justice. He finished with 2,323 votes compared to Justice's 948 for the Democratic nomination for District 8.

"I look forward to the general election. I know this isn't the result my opponent wanted and hoped for, but he is a great guy and he will do well with whatever he pursues next," Shaughnessy said. "He would've been great for the county and I wish him the best of luck."

Shaughnessy has previous experience serving as a council member for the city of Green. He said he believes his reputation as a fiscal watchdog who ensured taxpayer's money was being spent wisely will serve the county well, where he wants to lower the tax burden on seniors as well as focus on community engagement.

Justice served as mayor for the village of Lakemore for eight years. During his time as mayor, he said he worked with Summit County to bring new resources to Lakemore which benefitted the residents, and improved the village's infrastructure by building and maintaining roads and improving the neighborhoods.

Justice said he believes his track record of public service helped to improve the lives of Lakemore's residents, and his public policy could do the same for the entirety of Summit County.

District 8 includes Green, Springfield, Lakemore, Mogadore and Coventry.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Summit County election results for 3 contested County Council races