Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro: Big things are going on! 

 

The Club was honored to host Summit County Executive, Ilene Shapiro, and several members of her staff at our September 19, 2023 meeting. 

 

Ilene Shapiro is an American businessperson and politician. She has served as the Executive of Summit County, Ohio since August 1, 2016. Her predecessor Russell M. Pry died in office on July 31, 2016.  She was elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020 and is currently serving a four-year term that ends in December 2024. Previously, Shapiro was a member of Summit County Council for ten years and Council President for three years. Prior to her time in public service, Shapiro was a businesswoman.

 

Before her time on County Council, Shapiro was a businesswoman and a small business owner. She was an executive at First Merit Bank and the Summa Health Foundation. She later became an entrepreneur, and created a beauty supply company and consultancy firm based in Akron.  Shapiro was the head of Shapiro Consulting, a business consulting firm.

 

Summit County has over 540,333 residents and is the 4^th largest of Ohio’s 88 counties.  In the county are 31 communities made up of 14 cities, 8 villages and 9 townships.

 

With a County budget of over half-a-billion dollars, Shapiro kicked off her presentation “Big things are going on” talking about what she does as County Executive and then shared information about the projects that are taking place in the County. 

• Her role is facilitative, strategic, & relationship driven
• Chief administrative, budgetary and contracting authority for the County
• Manages 10 departments:
  • Admin. Services, Admin. & Public Info, Community & Economic Development, Finance & Budget, Human Resources, Law & Risk Mgmt., Job & Family Services, Medical Examiner, Public Safety and Sanitary Sewer Services.

• Dispatch Center
• Broadband
• Opioid Lawsuit and Funds
• Local HWAP, Lead Abatement, Home Repairs
• Local economic and workforce development
• Age-Friendly Akron-Summit
• Summit County Animal Control

• Our shared environment and water!
  • Summit County sits on the continental divide that separates the Lake Erie and Ohio River watersheds!
  • Sewer and stormwater systems across the watersheds impact all 31 communities, including Akron!
  • In Springfield, our reclamation facility is sending water to the Tuscarawas River that is cleaner than the river water!
  • We have planned investments for stormwater, sewer in Peninsula, Springfield, Lakemore, Bath, and more!
    • The Springfield facility has seen 74% increased efficiency.
  • The removal of the Gorge Dam will allow our Cuyahoga River to flow freely.
  • She is working with Akron on possibly amending the EPA Consent Decree.

• Preventing youth violence!
  • Akron’s Youth Violence Prevention Plan & Upward Mobility Plan
    • Denico Buckley-Knight is leading the charge on Akron’s Youth Violence Prevention Program alongside community orgs such as United Way. This aligns closely with our Upward Mobility Plan!
    • We are working closely to support them wherever we can, especially when it comes to collaboration, mentorship and securing future grant dollars!
    • Early support is KEY to helping our youth!

• New dispatch center that will house Akron’s operations!
  • The Summit Emergency Communications Center (SECC) is up and running.
    • State-of-the-art regional dispatch center that will serve 300,000+ residents.
    • Will house Akron dispatch services separately, but under the same roof!
    • Partnership between Summit County, Stow, Cuyahoga Falls, Fairlawn, Tallmadge and may expand to include Copley Twp. and more!
    • Always an opt-in project with capacity for ALL
    • Ribbon-cutting on October 6th!

•  The Sojourner Truth Project and Plaza!
  • Memorializing the site of Truth’s iconic speech, commonly titled “Ain’t I a Woman”
  • Longstanding movement to honor her re-ignited by the Centennial Suffrage Committee
  • Towanda Mullins has strung together an incredible coalition! County contributed a total of $300,000.
  • Truth’s legacy is one of justice and equality for people of all races and genders, but especially Black women and girls.

Property Values 101

•  All counties adjust property values every three years; current cycle includes Summit County and 12 others
•  State Tax Commissioner dictates how properties are appraised, numbers are currently based on one year of sales data
•  State asked for 34% increase
•  A change in value is NOT proportional to a change in taxes