In more than a decade on City Council and lifelong resident of Tallmadge, Carol Kilway-Siciliano has built a deep understanding of our community, a thoughtful vision for our future, and a reputation for getting results.
Below, Carol addresses some of the most frequent questions that Tallmadge residents are asking her on the campaign trail.
Why are you the best candidate for the office?
My 34 years of experience at Circle Mold & Machine, Inc. as Controller/Office Manager and over 11 years of experience as a Tallmadge Councilperson makes me uniquely qualified to be the next mayor of the City of Tallmadge. As the controller of Circle Mold, I know every aspect of what it takes to run a business during the good times and bad. As a Councilperson for the City of Tallmadge, I have substantial knowledge of how the city operates. These particular experiences give me the unique insight of what services the business community and residents need. Most importantly, I know how to get these things done.
I know Tallmadge’s past, present, and future. I have lived in Tallmadge my entire life. I received my primary and secondary education at Tallmadge Public Schools. I graduated from Kent State University with my Bachelor of Business Administration. I met my husband in Tallmadge at the legendary A & W Restaurant. We bought a home in Tallmadge and raised our family here. Our three children graduated from Tallmadge High School and continue to amaze us with their success.
I have been active in many community organizations: Tallmadge Firefighters Women’s Auxillary, Tallmadge Treehouse Preschool Board Member and Treasurer, Tallmadge United Soccer Club Secretary/Treasurer/Vice President, Great Lakes Freeze Hockey Club Founding Board Member & Treasurer, Tallmadge Chamber of Commerce, Tallmadge Rotary, Firefighters Dependents Fund Chairperson (my husband is a 40-year veteran of Tallmadge Fire Department), and Richardson Trust Fund Chairperson. Additionally, my family has established the Siciliano Family Educational Scholarship for graduating seniors at Tallmadge High School.
As a Councilperson, I have demonstrated that I care for my constituents. I answer their questions and concerns, and I follow through with their requests. In one incident, I took a matter all the way to the Ohio Statehouse and was integral in enacting a statewide protocol for the placement and care of developmentally disabled sexual offenders. I have been an advocate for the safety of our residents. I pushed to get more police presence in high crime neighborhoods and install streetlights on main roads.
I take pride in the advancement of the Council office while I’ve been on Council. When I first took office, I implemented the use of laptops to receive council agenda, legislation, etc., to reduce the abundance of paper copies. I also initiated the streamlining of the Council meetings. While I was Council President, I led the Council office during the national pandemic shutdown which commenced the first Teams/Zoom Council meetings. This has transpired into the current live streaming of all Council meetings.
Most importantly, I am the only mayoral candidate that is endorsed by the current mayor, Mayor David Kline.
What is your vision for economic development for your community over the next 10 years?
The economic development of Tallmadge is the single most important focus of my candidacy. The financing of the city’s services primarily comes from the net profit and income tax withholding of our business community.
Over the next ten years, the City of Tallmadge has an amazing opportunity for growth. However, we need to start with hiring an Economic Development Team that will focus on:
- Developing a formal Economic Development Plan;
- Encouraging economic growth through new sustainable business ventures;
- Being proactive in engaging with our current businesses to enable them to grow within our City; and
- Working with landowners to responsibly develop their land into residential neighborhoods
With the Regional Dispatch Center opening up at the north end of the city and acquisition of the former Summit DD property in the same location, we are given a great opportunity to develop an amazing site. This site is flanked to the north by city owned soccer fields and the Challenger Baseball field. This new Economic Development Team will be tasked with developing this site effectively.
I envision a Tallmadge with sustainable, responsible business and residential growth that compliments the city’s slogan of History Moving Forward.
What are the most significant issues facing your community and what ideas do you have to address these issues?
In my opinion, the most urgent issue facing Tallmadge (and the country) is the very real potential of a recession. Recessions impact our business community first, and the trickledown down effect is felt with the reduction of tax dollars to support the services that the city provides to the residents. I have had discussions with our Director of Finance, Mollie Gilbride, about this issue. Through these discussions, I am confident that we have the necessary safeguards in place to get through an economic downturn.
Another issue that is not so daunting, but still very real is communication to our residents about services and events provided by the city. We used to be able to rely on the Tallmadge Express to help spread information; however, we all now know that publication will cease at the end of March 2023. Social media is a great way to spread the news, but Tallmadge has a very large population of older residents that do not necessarily use social media. My plan is to launch a weekly/monthly newsletter that will be delivered to the residents, so they have a hardcopy of the news and events occurring in Tallmadge.
As Mayor, how will you use your position to strengthen the arts and culture sector in the city?
Carol was asked this question by ArtsNow, in their Arts and Culture Questionnaire for Summit County Mayoral Candidates.
As the mayor of Tallmadge, I will first initiate an Arts Council comprised of local artisans to brainstorm on how to increase the cultural/art experience in our city. The city currently does not have a strong art/cultural presence. I believe it is important to increase the cultural experience available in our city because it is an important factor in our economic development of the city. The Arts Council will be part of the new Economic Development Team that I plan on building to move our city forward.
Because it directly impacts the economic development of the city, the arts and culture will be one of my main focuses and a top priority of my administration.