WKSU Stories

Canton's Mayor Says He Wants The Job For Four More Years

Ideastream Public Media | By Tim Rudell,

Tim Rudell

Published February 6, 2019 at 5:38 PM EST

Canton Mayor Tom Bernabei says he’s running for a second term, and will be doing so as a Democrat.

Mayor Tom Bernabei at a downtown planning information session

In the November 2015 general election, long-time Democrat Tom Bernabei was on the ballot as an Independent candidate. He hadn’t decided to mount a challenge to then-mayoral incumbent William Healy in time to run against him in the May primary for the Democratic nomination.

But as the 2019 primary nears, Democratic Party leaders want Tom Bernabei, the now-mayoral incumbent, back in the fold. He says he’s OK with that. “I was a Democrat for 45-years before I was an Independent. So I am very, very comfortable with that fit. And I think it is a good fit given the makeup of Canton, going forward.”

Bernabie is an attorney, a past Canton City Law Director, a past City Service Director, and has been a Stark County Commissioner.