Spidalieri Shoots for Re-election
Ralph Spidalieri announced July 11 he intends to run for a fourth term as county commissioner.
Ralph Spidalieri announced July 11 he intends to run for a fourth term as county commissioner.
“I was truly humbled by the overwhelming outpour of phone calls and personal contacts that I received by county directors, employees and elected officials, but most of all, the residents of this great county asking me to run again for commissioner,” he said in a press release issued that day.
First elected to his commissioner’s seat in 2012, Spidalieri said the county is in one of the strongest fiscal positions it has ever been in.
“With a surplus of funds in the millions, this has been achieved due to conservative spending and keeping a watchful eye and maintaining accountability on expenditures,” he said.
A former police officer, Spidalieri was sworn in as Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski’s chief deputy in January 2021. He is the owner of Great Lakes Outdoor Supply, an outdoor equipment and firearm store with locations in Chester Township and Middlefield.
In his press release, Spidalieri said the COVID-19 pandemic brought forth challenges for the county, including a workforce shortage and supply chain issues that caused delays in completing many of the projects he had set out to complete before the end of his term.
The largest achievement of his last term was the opening of the new administrative building on Ravenwood Drive, he said, adding the building’s location — across the road from University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center — is in a central location for all residents to easily access.
“This project was something that I started to explore during my first term as commissioner. I watched the financial burden that numerous county buildings put on our residents with maintenance and manpower and felt that something had to be done to consolidate everything under one roof for our county to function efficiently,” he said. “My goal for the next term is to continue the great work that has been done and preserve this great place so many of us call home.” Spidalieri said his aspiration is to create and complete a centrally-located senior center to serve the county’s largest growing population.
“(The center would) include amenities to care and give back quality time to our aging citizens that supported this county throughout their life in Geauga,” he said. “I have the utmost confidence that our county will continue to strive to uphold the principles that I have originally campaigned on to promote, protect and preserve the quality lifestyle that we embody in Geauga County. I am truly humbled and energized by the support and I will always serve this county at the highest level of integrity and honor.”
