Canton voters overwhelmingly choose William V. Sherer II as city's new mayor
CANTON – William V. Sherer II is Canton's new mayor, unofficial election results show.
Sherer, a Democrat, captured 68% of the 13,770 votes cast. His challenger, Roy Scott DePew, a Republican, garnered nearly 32% of the votes, unofficial preliminary results show.
The unofficial results show Sherer led in every one of Canton's 48 precincts, with some precincts favoring him by 85% or higher.
Sherer, whose four-year term will begin Jan. 1, will succeed Mayor Thomas Bernabei, who chose not to seek reelection to his third term. As the mayor, Sherer will be responsible for managing city operations and Canton's $334 million annual budget. The mayor's annual salary is $128,092 this year, but legislation pending before council would increase the mayor’s salary by 3% for 2024.
Sherer on Tuesday thanked Bernabei for his leadership over the past eight years and said he feels honored that city voters have entrusted him to lead the city.
"We have a lot of work to do, and I'm looking forward to working with my comrades on Canton City Council to move this city forward," Sherer said.
Sherer's campaign focused on his Canton roots and him choosing to raise his family in Canton. The 1988 McKinley High School graduate also emphasized his role as the business manager, financial secretary and treasurer for Ironworkers Local 550 for nearly 18 years, calling himself a voice for working families.
His message resonated with voters such as Laymon Carter Jr. who voted at Union Baptist Church on Tuesday.
"He's a hard-working guy," Carter said. "I think he'll be a hard-working mayor."
On the issues, Sherer made increasing safety and improving neighborhoods the cornerstones of his campaign.
He has pledged to help bring the Canton City Police Department to full staffing so it will have the resources it needs to reconnect with residents through community policing, as well as restoring bike and foot patrols. He's also pledged to work with the Stark County NAACP on police reform.
Sherer, who has served as Canton council president since December 2018, also wants to start an aggressive street paving program, continue the city's efforts of razing abandoned and habitually neglected homes and buildings and strengthen city building codes to help prevent neighborhood blight.
"Everything for me is the neighborhoods and the people who live in them," Sherer said Tuesday.
Reach Canton Repository staff writer Kelli Weir at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Ohio election results: Canton voters make William Sherer new mayor
