Portage County Voters Will Decide On Two Commissioners' Seats On Nov. 3

Two key county leadership roles are on the Nov. 3 ballot in Portage County, which is the home of Kent State University, and the cities of Aurora and county seat Ravenna.

For at least the last decade, Democrats have held a 2 to 1 majority in Portage County. With both a Republican and Democrat up for re-election, some wonder if that could change this year.

Democrat Kathleen Clyde, a former state representative who was appointed to the position in 2018, and Sabrina Christian-Bennett, a Republican who has held the seat for almost one term, are both on the ballot in the county commissioners race.

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Portage County Commissioner Kathleen Clyde was appointed to the position in 2018, and is running for her first full term. [Kathleen Clyde]

Clyde’s opponent, chiropractor Tony Badalamenti, previously ran for the office, narrowly losing to Democrat Mike Kerrigan in 2018. Kerrigan resigned less than a month after being elected, and Clyde was appointed to fill the position by county Democrats.

John Kennedy, a Democrat who unsuccessfully ran for Ohio’s 76 ^th Congressional District in 2018, is challenging Rootstown resident Christian-Bennett. Bennett was previously appointed to a commissioner’s seat in 2014 but lost her bid for a full term to current Democratic commissioner Vicki Kline.

Clyde vs. Badalamenti

At the heart of this race is the COVID-19 pandemic response. County commissioners have been tasked with local distribution of federal CARES Act money, which is meant to help Ohio families and businesses impacted by COVID-19.

Clyde said the commissioners have already started working on this, and she wants to see these efforts through if returned to the post by voters.

“We are working on programs that will directly help our residents who are in need of resources for rental assistance, mortgage assistance, food assistance,” Clyde said. “We have seen a big uptick of food insecurity and hunger in the county.”

Clyde has plans to ramp up COVID-19 testing in the county using those funds, and is also looking into a grant program for small businesses in the area, she said.

Republican Tony Badalamenti is challenging incumbent commissioner Kathleen Clyde. [Tony Badalamenti]

The Republican challenger for the seat, Badalamenti, resides in Aurora. His main priorities if elected, he said, would be public safety, as he wants more funding and staff for the county sheriff’s department, and job creation. The current elected officials, he said, have not done enough to support new economic development.

“I think we’re short-sighted, and it’s been like that for decades,” he said. “We have the ability to grow, and we have the ability to bring businesses in, but our county officials have never taken those steps to benefit the county.”

Some county residents are tired of voting on politicians “that want to just keep running for office,” he said. Clyde has been more focused on national efforts, such as Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign, than on Portage County, he said.

Clyde, who grew up in Garrettsville and now lives in Kent, said her experience serving in the Ohio Statehouse for eight years, where she represented much of Portage County, has qualified her well to continue serving as commissioner.

“I don’t think there’s much question about my dedication to the county, to the residents here,” she said.

Badalamenti also wants to make the CARES funding and other loans more accessible for small business owners to obtain, he said. He would like to open up as much of the economy as possible, he said. He is also calling for opening the county administration building in Ravenna, and other county offices, which are currently closed to the public due to COVID-19 concerns. 

“Show up for your job as a leader of the county. Stop saying that you’re doing your job on Zoom,” he said. “When the county officials don’t show up and don’t work, I have a serious problem with that type of leadership.,” Badalamenti said.

Republican Sabrina Christian-Bennett, the other incumbent commissioner up for re-election, said she and Commissioner Vicki Kline usually work in the county offices on different days during the week. All three commissioners have to come in periodically to sign documents, she said.

“Every time I think we’re about to broach the, ‘we need to probably open up the building,’ don’t you know, the COVID numbers spike,” Bennett said.

Christian-Bennett vs. Kennedy

If re-elected, Bennett wants to continue current projects including dealing with workforce development, housing those who are recovering from addiction, and creating a 5-year comprehensive vision plan for the county.

Bennett, who owns a real estate title company headquartered in Ravenna, said her experience running a small business has helped her serve in her first full term as commissioner.

“I think in these unprecedented times, it’s more important that you have an experienced, qualified commissioner with a business background that is used to making tough decisions and knows what this job entails to move the county forward,” she said.

Incumbent Commissioner Sabrina Christian-Bennett is running for re-election after serving since 2016. [Sabrina Christian-Bennett]

For John Kennedy, her Democratic opponent, COVID-19 financial relief is one of the biggest priorities, he said.  He recently volunteered at food pantries, and saw first-hand that many county residents are experiencing poverty for the first time due to the pandemic, Kennedy said.

Increasing the accessibility of information and resources for people experiencing financial hardship is one goal, he said. Kennedy suggested one answer might be forming a commission to form a strategic plan to address the issue.

Democrat John Kennedy is challenging incumbent commissioner Sabrina Christian-Bennett. [John Kennedy]

“I don’t have all the answers; I’m not a miracle worker. But, what I’m good at is bringing people together … to find pathways forward for us to work together to try to solve some of these things,” Kennedy said. 

A Type 1 diabetic, Kennedy’s number one priority is bringing down insulin and other prescription drug costs, he said. Connecting residents with resources for their health care, such as a federally qualified health center in Kent, is another priority, he said.

Kennedy is an IT manager for a Washington D.C.-based company and works remotely from his residence in Aurora.