Russ wins Summit County Democrat of the Year Award
Photo Source: Kyle Kutuchief, www.thechiefsource.com
On Sunday, July 20th, the Summit County Democratic Party held their annual Franklin Delano Roosevelt dinner. The dinner featured speakers such as Congresswoman Betty Sutton and State Treasurer and Attorney General candidate Rich Cordray. The local party honored Russ Pry with it's "Democrat of Year" Award. According to the SCDP, this award is given to "an individual who has set extraordinary high standards and raised the bar in terms of his or her commitment and dedication to our Party. Recipients of this prestigious award exemplify the ideals, values, passion and indestructible spirit our Party embodies. These are individuals who make it happen." With this award, Russ joins a long list of accomplished Democrats who have previously received this award. Congratulations!
Summit County Veterans Service Commission hosts ceremonial groundbreaking
The Suburbanite
Akron, Ohio -
On Saturday, July 12, Summit County Executive Russell M. Pry, Summit County Veterans Service Commission (VSC) Executive Director George Baker and VSC Commissioners: A.W. “Sonny” Cool, Bruce Hestley, Richard Rauch, John “Jack” Ryan and Michael Stitch hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new, $2.2 million Summit County Veterans Service Commission Center. The event took place on the land that will serve as the new building site, a 2-acre stretch of property along East Waterloo Road in Akron.
The Commission is presently operating out of an old, converted residential home located on Park Avenue in Akron.
“The current facility is not fully handicap accessible and lacks efficient office space and parking,” said Summit County Executive Russell M. Pry. “To put it quite frankly, the home is not an appropriate place to serve the men and women who have given so much for our country.”
The new, 16,000 square foot, fully handicap accessible Summit County Veterans Service Commission Center is projected to open in the fall of 2009. Building specifications include: 25 offices, a multipurpose room, a Veterans Learning Center and a 90 space parking lot.
The new facility will allow the VSC to better serve the local veteran community with services, such as: benefit coordination, counseling, education, employment opportunities, financial assistance, health care, transportation and much more.
The multipurpose room will serve the community as an additional meeting space for volunteer military support organizations, such as: the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Vietnam Veterans of America, the American Veterans, the Disabled American Veterans and many more.
The Veterans Learning Center will be equipped with computers and state-of-the-art equipment to provide veterans with an opportunity to: participate in educational enrichment opportunities, perform job searches, apply on-line for benefits and assistance, etc.
In addition to the major capital improvement project, the Summit County Executive Russell M. Pry’s Office also served as a key sponsor for numerous fundraisers and initiatives in support of volunteer military organizations, such as: the United Service Organization (USO), the Summit County Stand Down for Homeless and Disabled Veterans and the Summit County Serving Our Soldiers (SOS) program.
PRY RECEIVES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AWARD!
From AkronNewsNow:
6/5/2008 1:51:57 PM | Craig Simpson
Summit County Executive Russell Pry has been honored as a co-recipient of the 2008 Deal of the Year Award during the Team NEO Economic Development Impact Award.
Award categories include: Deal of the Year, New Job Creation, Job Retention, Public-Private Partnership, Foreign Investment, Minority Job Creation/Retention, Asset Creation, Fostering Entrepreneurship, Community Improvement and Marketing of the Cleveland Plus plan.
During the ceremony, Team NEO announced the Goodyear Riverwalk Project as the 2008 Deal of the Year. Goodyear Riverwalk Project collaborators include: the City of Akron, the County of Summit, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce, Industrial Realty Group, LLC, the State of Ohio and the Summit County Port Authority.
"The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company plays a major role in our community's economy," said Summit County Executive Russell M. Pry. "I take great pride in knowing that my administration played a leading role in retaining their global headquarters in Summit County."
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company currently employs 3,000 associates in Northeast Ohio. 1,790 of the workers live in Summit County, 742 reside in Stark County and 123 of the staff members are Cuyahoga County residents. In addition to the employment opportunities, Goodyear purchases over $370 million in goods/services from over 400 Summit County vendors each year.
The Goodyear Riverwalk Project also plans to add a significant amount of community improvements, such as: developing the area for modern industrial, office and retail use in a campus-like setting, reducing/eliminating blight structures in the area, recognizing and integrating the Little Cuyahoga River and Springfield Lake outlet as prominent natural features and providing adequate transportation infrastructure.
"We are extremely proud to receive such a distinguished honor," added Pry. "I would like to thank Team NEO for recognizing the successful collaboration of our local economic development partnership."
Team NEO was established in 2003 by the following community organizations: First Energy Corporation, Greater Akron Chamber, Stark Development Board, Lorain County Chamber of Commerce, Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber and the Greater Cleveland Partnership.
Keep Democrat Russ Pry County Executive!
Thank you for visiting the official online home of my campaign for Summit County Executive. I hope you are able to learn more about my candidacy and if you have any more questions, feel free to email me at russ@russpry.com. I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to get to know where I stand on the issues and my plans for the future of
As
First and foremost, I am proud to have been part of the team that enabled Goodyear to stay in
Working with the Summit County Veterans Administration and County Council, we also led the way for a much needed new Veteran’s facility. The County recently purchased land for the site, and the new building is under design. The new facility is scheduled for construction in late 2008.
In addition, I have created an "Economic Development Task Force" and brokered deals with the Summit County Agricultural Society. We signed a new Lease and Operating Agreement for the Summit County Fairgrounds, resolving lingering issues that involve the operation of the
I look forward to having a thoughtful discussion on the issues facing
Sincerely,
Russ Pry
Akron Beacon Journal Endorsed!
For Summit County executiveOur choice: Russ Pry in the Democratic primary
Published on Sunday, Feb 03, 2008
Now, six months in office, Pry is seeking election to a four-year term. He faces Joe Finley, a former Akron city councilman, in the Democratic primary.
We recommend the election of Russ Pry on March 4.
Pry was something of a surprise choice to succeed McCarthy, who retired last summer. Pry, an attorney, spent years working behind the political scenes, the past decade as the county Democratic Party chairman. He has served on the Akron-Summit County Library board and the county elections board. He was the law director for Boston Heights and a Mogadore councilman, first elected three decades ago. Even allies wondered how easily he would take to the larger realm of the executive's office.
The transition has been impressive — beyond the success with council members. Pry has been willing to listen and learn. He also has taken effective action. He has contributed to the improved atmosphere at Summit County Children Services, the agency succeeding at the ballot last fall. He stepped into the fray at the county domestic relations court, brokering better relations between the two judges.
Most telling, Pry has been an active presence in economic development, beginning to reorganize the county's underachieving operation, joining efforts to develop an Academic Health Center, a cooperative venture of the hospitals and universities to promote research and development. By almost all accounts, the Goodyear project would not have come together without his participation.
Pry understands that a strong six months hardly translates into enduring record. His performance so far certainly warrants election in this primary.
Joe Finley attracted more support than expected in his run for Akron mayor last fall. Yet he remains a candidate largely reliant on the negative. He contends Pry is a creature of Democratic powerbrokers. What Finley lacks is a concept of the leadership that Russ Pry already has displayed in the job.
Goodyear stays in Summit County
Read about Russ's involvement in keeping Goodyear in Summit County!
"The challenges facing larger cities often are underappreciated. Look at state lawmakers curbing the powers of cities to act. Against such a backdrop the role of Russ Pry gains deeper perspective. He represents all of Summit County. His presence affirms more than the obvious about keeping Goodyear. It points to our shared stake in the health of the city."
-Akron Beacon Journal
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