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

Barry Shaffer

Nonpartisan

Campaign phone: 330-620-3547

Campaign email address: barry.shaffer1@gmail.com

Training/experience: Business Owner 30 years

Facebook: facebook.com/61580972814825

Education: 2 years college

Previous public office: City of New Franklin Councilman Ward 2 

Why are you the best candidate for the office?

Serving as a dedicated City Councilman in New Franklin, I have championed local infrastructure improvements, community engagement, and fiscal responsibility. Successful businessman: A respected real estate expert and local business owner with a track record of helping families and businesses achieve their goals. Family-Oriented Values: A devoted husband and father of three, I understand the importance of family, community, and creating opportunities for future generations.

What are the top priorities you seek to address once in office?

I believe every resident deserves to know what is happening in their city. I am committed to creating opportunitites for residents to voice concerns, ask questions and participate in decision-making. I will prioritize accountability by making city processes, budgets, and plans easy to understand-so everyone is in the loop.

What strategies will you use to accomplish those priorities?

I plan on having an open door policy, A regular update from the mayor’s desk. All the board committees should be lived streamed so the New Franklin residents can be able to view and stay up to date.

Steve Rector

Party: 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.