Brian Parsons for Avon City Council At Large

NEWS

Announcement for Parsons candidacy

Date: 07/25/07

www.ParsonsForAvon.com

(440)925-7900 ParsonsforAvon@gmail.com

“Avon has four candidates vying for three seats. All four incumbents Clinton Pelfrey, Craig Witherspoon and Kevin Flanigan, and challenger Brian Parsons—are qualified. The three incumbents have served the city well, but Brian Parsons should not be discounted so easily. Your best bet is to check out our election guide (and in the interest of diversity, other newspapers guides) to see if you agree with their stances on issues.”

Excerpt from the 10/31 edition of “The Press” Editorial “Election Guide”

Election should decide three of four openings

Thursday, November 01, 2007

By Bryan Story

The Sun

AVON

All four candidates running for three at large council positions could end up in office after Tuesday's election.

While the race, consisting of three incumbents, Clinton Pelfrey, Kevin Flanigan and Craig Witherspoon, as well as newcomer Brian Parsons, will only name three of the candidates to council, an open spot left due to the death of Ward 3 Councilman Timothy Nickum on Oct. 6 could be filled by the fourth.

According to Avon's charter, council has 30 days to decide on Nickum's replacement, after which the mayor would make the decision.

City Council has been collecting applications for the Ward 3 position and plans to name the new council member on the final day of the 30-day limit, which, since Nickum died on Oct. 6, means that council will choose its new member on Monday, hours before the at large election.

Complicating matters is the fact that Parsons is one of four applicants for the Ward 3 position as well as one of the candidates for the at large spots.

Parsons, who described Nickum as a close friend and mentor, said that he applied for the position.

"Tim was great and I was never going to run against him, I felt that would be disloyal," said Parsons, "but if he hadn't been running I would have preferred to run for Ward 3 councilman."

Because Nickum was running for re-election unopposed, council will be choosing a replacement to finish his current term, which will end in January. Them someone will have to be chosen to complete Nickum's full new term, which begins in January.

"I think I would be a logical choice," said Parsons, "after all, in a city of 16,000 I'm the only one who decided to run against the incumbents for council."

As for Tuesday's election, Parsons says there is a chance the three incumbents may run unopposed.

"It is a decision I would have to make at the time and the timing makes it kind of complicated, but I could theoretically resign my candidacy if I were named the Ward 3 councilman," said Parsons.

However, Parsons also stressed that he is still campaigning and is not counting on being named the Ward 3 councilman.