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

Mario Fiocca is running for the Ward 4 Stow City Council seat.
Mario Fiocca is running for the Ward 4 Stow City Council seat. (Photo courtesy of Mario Fiocca)

Mario Fiocca

Nonpartisan

Previous public office: Incumbent Ward 4 Councilman

Facebook: www.facebook.com/fioccaforstow/

Campaign email address: fioccaforstow@gmail.com

Campaign phone: 330-212-2048

Why are you the best candidate for the office?

I am the best candidate for this office because of my responsive to residents and prior experience as committee chairman. In order to represent the ward, you have to be engaged with residents, and I have done that over the past 5 plus years.

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

I want to continue making storm water management improvements throughout Ward 4. That has been a consistent issue that I have heard from residents during my time on council. Another priority would be continued focus on economic development in the northwest corner of the city. We have made great progress thus far and I look forward to seeing that continue over the next few years. Finally, continued improvements to quality of life for our residents. Our parks have seen some great improvements, and I would love to see improvements for more bike accessibility not just in Ward 4 but the entire city.

What strategies will you use to accomplish those priorities?

In order to accomplish these priorities, it is imperative to engage other members of council, city administrators and residents. Working together with those individuals will ensure we take the best direction for our residents.

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.