Kent State Students Want Voice on Kent Council

Kent City Councilman Erik Valenta's recent decision to resign from council will leave a vacant seat that students at have their eye on.

Valenta is planning to leave council by the end of January to move to North Carolina with his wife, who accepted a medical position there. His departure from council in the middle of his term means the remaining council members can appoint a replacement to finish out his four-year term.

Evan Gildenblatt is hoping they'll pick a student from Kent State.

Gildenblatt, director of governmental affairs for the Undergraduate Student Government at Kent State, co-wrote a letter to council with USG Executive Director Kevin Papp urging the city's top legislative body to consider appointing a student to Valenta's at-large council seat.

"I strongly believe that having a student member of council would give valuable perspective to the body as a whole," said Gildenblatt, who is majoring in applied conflict management at Kent State. "The undergraduate population of the Kent campus alone numbers over 22,000, and (it) constitutes a significant economic and social interest in the city. Having a student voice would not only improve relations between the city and the university, but would allow for a different, and highly beneficial, point of view to be represented."

The chief requirement for someone to be appointed is that they be a registered voter in the city, according to the city charter.

Councilman Wayne Wilson said technically council can't do anything until Valenta's final day as a council member.

"The very next day we can then post it ... for applications for people to apply to be appointed," he said.

The city charter requires that council appoint a replacement within 30 days of Valenta's last day. Once applications are received, council would interview candidates during a public hearing and then vote on the successor.

Wilson said the vote requires a majority of council, five members, voting to appoint the new at-large member.

"And with eight people voting the mayor would break a tie," he said.

The idea of having a student serve on council is not new. The suggestion came up during former mayor John Fender's last term, but nothing ever came of the idea.

Gildenblatt said members of the USG plan to attend Wednesday's council meeting in case council members have any questions about the proposal.

He said having a student on council would make the study body feel appreciated as part of the community.

"I would hope that the non-student residents of Kent would be willing to recognize that Kent State students are a vital part of our community and be receptive to having student representation on city council," Gildenblatt said. "That being said, the vacancy is a perfect opportunity for council and the community at large to bring more diverse opinions and outlooks into the city's decision-making process."