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

Samuel Ray

Nonpartisan

Website: www.linkedin.com/in/samhasenray

Education: Studied Civil Engineering at The University of Akron

Previous public office: Council President Pro Tempore

Campaign Phone: 330-819-5090

Campaign email address: samathin08@gmail.com

Training/Experience: Councilperson for 6 years, Senior Analyst for 5.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sam.ray.94

Why are you the best candidate for the office?

When you place your vote, you want to pick the person who is going to listen, empathize and fight for the things you believe in. During my walk as a councilperson I have not once shied away from conversations with fellow residents whether they wanted to speak with joy or reproach. This council seat exists to help make resident’s lives a little bit better and, to that end, I vow to always vote to defend the people of Lakemore’s rights, health and safety.

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

There are two big issues I have been fighting for these past three years.

  1. Springfield Lake: We have corrected infrastructure as well as reclaimed natural barriers around the lake but there is still more work to do in order to make our Lake the shining gem of the village like it used to be.
  2. Utility Bills: With the exponential increase in sewer rates our combined utility bills are astronomical. Thankfully, some of the updates to infrastructure have helped patch some wounds but I am working diligently with other municipalities that get their Sewer from Akron in order to lower these costs.

Aside from these two I am also working to make Lakemore a more inclusive village. We have so many fresh faces with the new homes being built. Lakemore’s motto has been “The Progressive Village” for decades but it’s time we start living that.

What strategies will you use to accomplish those priorities?

We have come a long way in the past few years but there is still so much more to do. The lake has stabilized as of this year but still needs to be fixed of harmful hydrilla which threatens the wildlife living in it. We also have a lot of infrastructure that needs updating still. Fixing the underlaying issues that cause the storm water infiltration and finding ways to mitigate anymore invasive aquatic plants like Hydrilla will be essential moving forward. I and my council colleagues are actively working with Summit County, Springfield Akron, and ODNR to solve these issues.

I am also working with my council colleagues, the village administrator (Tracy) and RCAP in an effort to rethink how our utilities are being billed. If we can change the base fee on residents it may ease the burden a little. Additionally, I am seeking out grant opportunities or ways that we may be able to offer help for residents that have a hard time paying their utility bill each month.

Nicki A. Coontz

Nonpartisan

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

Joseph Robert Hogya

Nonpartisan

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

Jon Strittmatter

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.