NORTH CANTON ‒ Matthew Stroia is now the 25th person to lead the city as mayor.
“I’m really excited to get started,” he said after a swearing-in ceremony on July 25 at City Hall.
“It’s very emotional because I love this place. This is my hometown and when I gave my first stump speech six years ago, I said I bleed orange and black. And I do.”
Stroia, 49, who was council president since December 2021 and at large council member since December 2019, succeeds Stephan Wilder, who announced July 22 he was stepping down.
Wilder attended the ceremony. The city charter says the council president becomes mayor if the mayor resigns.
Stroia took the oath by a wall with the portraits of his 24 predecessors. Stroia’s wife, Jessica Stroia who is the president of the North Canton City School Board, and their 14-year-old son, Aiden, sat in the front row.
The room at the North Main Street entrance of City Hall was filled with city employees, nearly all of City Council and well-wishers. They applauded loudly and Wilder embraced Stroia.
“Thank you Mayor Wilder,” Stroia said. “Over 40 years of public service, and the best thing is you have a big heart and you’re a great man.”
Talking about the city staff and community, Stroia said, “but we’re a team. I mean we’re all together. So let’s always have each other’s backs. Go forward and let’s always try to improve for all the people. For our community. …. To be the 25th mayor, I wasn’t expecting it on this timeline. But I’m very happy to serve.”
Stephan Wilder issues support
Wilder addressed the crowd and thanked the community and city staff.
“We have come across so many things in these last few years. We’ve made major decisions. We’ve had obstacles. We’ve had challenges. But we also with working with council, administration and our whole (city) staff all of our decisions are made (for) the welfare of our city,” he said.
Wilder said he is not moving out of the city. He plans to serve on local boards for nonprofits like North Canton Cares Pantry and the North Canton Heritage Society.
Stroia said he will file by the Aug. 6 deadline petition signatures seeking to run for the two-year term starting Dec. 1. Wilder has endorsed Stroia’s election.
“I think he’s going to give all his best. … He’s rounded. He’s a hometown young man. He comes from a great family. I think he has good working knowledge of city government in his time on city council,” Wilder said.
The mayor is a part-time position, according to the city charter. The mayor hires with approval of council the director of administration who serves at the pleasure of the mayor. The mayor has the power to veto legislation approved by council.
By state law, Stroia will earn $19,418 a year, a pay increase from $8,809 a year that he earned as council president.
North Canton mayoral history
Wilder was the eighth mayor of North Canton to resign before the end of his term. This last happened in 1998 when William Hines resigned to become the city’s law director. Then-Council President Darryl Revoldt became the mayor.
Council member Stephanie Werren, At Large, becomes the council president. Council will appoint a resident of the city to the vacant at-large council member position to serve the remainder of the two-year term until Nov. 30.
Stroia owns and operates the tax filing firm Buckeye Tax, the investment advisory firm Investment Network and two businesses at Oakwood Square in Plain Township, the cigar bar OSI and the brewery Spider Monkey.
Stroia has not announced any plans as mayor, other then talking with staff and learning more about city departments.
Twenty-four others have served as mayor of North Canton. The first mayor was William H. “Boss” Hoover, from 1906 to 1909, when the community was a village known as New Berlin. Three of the 25 served as mayor in two non-consecutive periods.
Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: New Mayor Matthew Stroia ready for North Canton leadership role
Reporting by Robert Wang, Canton Repository / The Repository
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