Meet Tracy

Hello, my name is Tracy Wallach. I’m running to be elected again to Kent City Council, this time as an at-large council member and I’d appreciate your vote.

During the time I was previously on Council, the downtown was redeveloped – we finally got a hotel – a better relationship was established with the University allowing for cooperative endeavors like the East Main St project, and stronger ordinances were passed to deal with the encroachment of illegal boarding houses and student nuisance issues.

Let me tell you a little about myself. I’ve lived in the Kent area for the past 42 years. I grew up in Twin Lakes until age 8, moved to Akron to be closer to my father’s job – he worked for B.F. Goodrich – came back to Kent to get my graduate degree at Kent State and have been here ever since.

I have been making a contribution to Kent in one way or another for more than 36 years. Before there was a curbside recycling program, Kent had its own recycling center off of Lake St. I spent so much time there dropping off recyclables and donating money that I was invited to join its steering committee, which I did. From there, I became the first recycling coordinator for the City responsible for getting our curbside collection set up and preparing residents for the start of the program. I became a member of the local land conservancy organization known as PLACE. PLACE, along with 7 other Northern Ohio land conservancies, joined together to form one of the largest land conservancies in the Country – The Western Reserve Land Conservancy. I became one of the initial board members for this organization. I was a member of the steering committee that got the Main Street Kent program up and running, which inspired the development of Acorn Alley, and I was a member of Main Street Kent’s Design Committee. I was on the Citizens Advisory Board for the Summit Street project which, in 2019 won the American Society of Highway Engineers Project of the Year award for the creative way the problems for the corridor were solved. I taught in the Mathematics Department at Kent State University for nearly 40 years winning several teaching awards during that time which included being selected as the ‘Faculty Member of the Year’ by the Kent State University Greek System, ‘Outstanding Instructor of the Year’ by the Kent State Math Department and selected for three consecutive years to be included in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers  to name a few. Presently I am the vice-chair for the Portage County Solid Waste Management District Policy Committee and a member of the City of Kent’s Sustainability Commission.

I am a former member of Kent City Council. During my tenure on Council, the downtown was redeveloped bringing in more family-friendly businesses and activities. A new, beautiful hotel was built. We kept AMETEK from leaving town as they had planned to do and enticed Smithers to move their headquarters back. We saved the old Franklin Mills hotel, now known as Acorn Corner, and ensured its renovation. We also worked to make sure the old court house/post office and the Kent Wells Sherman House were preserved. We more than doubled the funding for street paving and sidewalks. A new code enforcement officer was hired to help enforce a new rental licensing ordinance which has now been implemented for several years to find and shut down illegal boarding houses. Stricter ordinances were passed to deal with student trash in yards and noise violations. Hike and bike trails were extended making Kent an even more walkable town. Snow is now being removed by the City on the State Routes during the winter and I and a colleague ensured that all new City buildings would be LEED certified – which means Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The new police building won 2 awards for this. Multiple other awards were also won by the City during my tenure including being named as one of the top five best places to live in Ohio by Ohio Magazine. The Climate Action Plan was adopted. A part-time Sustainability Coordinator was hired and has since become full-time. A part-time Community Engagement Coordinator was hired. Ordinances were passed to protect LGBTQIA+ persons from being discriminated against and Conversion Therapy was outlawed in Kent.

My goals for the future are the development of the Mill District, development of more senior-friendly housing, improvements to East Main Steet and North Water, working to thoughtfully turn our river into a destination spot for families and serious river sport enthusiasts and looking into more and better ways to stabilize our neighborhoods.

So if I were elected to Council what would I bring to the table? Diversity, a strong environmental perspective, a strong sense for preservation, a head for numbers – I’m was one of the budget hawks on Council  – and experience and if there was ever a time we needed experienced people in government, that time is now. I have developed relationships with City staff that allow me to get things done quickly and efficiently and I know how government is supposed to work for the betterment of people’s lives.