This article is part of the 2025 General Election Voters' Guide produced in partnership with the League of Women Voters of the Akron Area.

Jason M. Slater is a write-in candidate for the Barberton City Schools' Board of Education.
Jason M. Slater is a write-in candidate for the Barberton City Schools’ Board of Education. (Photo courtesy of Jason Slater)

Jason M. Slater (write-in)

Nonpartisan

Campaign email address: jasonslater331@gmail.com

Education: Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering

Training/experience: BCSD Fact Committee, Barberton Community Foundation Board, Lake Anna YMCA Advisory Board

Why are you the best candidate for the office?

I am excited for the opportunity to give back to my community through service to our schools.  All three of my boys, two of which have graduated from BHS and the third who is a junior, have received outstanding educations and opportunities at BCSD.  I look forward to ensuring those opportunities continue for future generations.  My mother was an educator and instilled a passion for learning in me that will help me execute the duties as member of the school board.

Brenda Stevenson Rickenbacker

Nonpartisan

(Editor’s note: The candidate did not respond to requests for information.)

Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
Zake has deep roots in Northeast Ohio journalism. She was the managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, Zake worked in a variety of roles across departments that all help inform her current role as Signal Akron's editor in chief. Most recently, she was a journalism professor and student media adviser at Kent State University, where she worked with the next generation of journalists to understand public policy, environmental reporting, data and solutions reporting. Among her accomplishments was the launch of the Kent State NewsLab, an experiential and collaborative news commons that connects student reporters with outside professional partners.