The candidates are Darlene S. Kinsey (D), Shawn David McKinnon (I) and Bobby Smith (I).

Darlene Kinsey

Kinsey, a 1974 graduate of East Liverpool High School, furthered her education through multiple seminars in multiple states for multiple sales, marketing, customer service and product knowledge in automotive excellence. She also graduated from an eight-week course at the Columbiana Mahoning County Leadership Academy in Youngstown.

Kinsey, who is currently employed by the City of East Liverpool Health District as a community health specialist has held a variety of other positions through the years including preschool registrar at the East Liverpool Area Pre-School Co-op, a rural relief mail carrier in Calcutta in the early 1980s, the first female automotive salesperson in the tri-state area in 1989 where she would go on to spend 25 years in the automotive industry, and then went on to spend eight years employed by PACYBER and Buckeye Online School for success as an enrollment coordinator and marketing director.

McKinnon

Her involvement in community activities includes past president and current vice president of the Southern Columbiana County Chamber of Commerce (newly renamed River Valley Chamber of Commerce), member of the HHH Foundation Board of Directors of the East Liverpool Community and Learning Center, served on the boards of E.L.C.P.R. and the Edutech Corridor, current member of the East Liverpool Elks #258 and past member of the Lady Moose Lodge and the Kiwanis.

Kinsey is a widow with three children and 12 grandchildren.

She has not previously held an elective office and has lost three elections for public office. In the early 1980s she ran as a write-in for the unexpired term for the Wellsville Board of Education. In the 1990s she ran for the East Liverpool school board, and she lost for East Liverpool mayor to Jim Swogger 20 years ago.

She has never been appointed to a public body.

Kinsey listed her qualifications for the position as having a great ability of reasoning, being a good judge of character, being fair and impartial on matters with opposing sides, not being too proud to ask for a solution or help. She noted that she believes in fairness and openness and does not believe herself to be better or less than anyone else and she can lead with compassion.

Kinsey

“I believe in my city of East Liverpool as a great place to work and raise a family and will settle for no less than making this town better than it has been in the last 30 years,” Kinsey said. “There are many good, hardworking individuals with great visions of how to move this town forward and I will enlist each of their talents to achieve a cleaner, better East Liverpool.”

Kinsey said she believes her years of working with the public have prepared her to serve the residents proudly.

Kinsey said she is seeking the office of mayor because through her current position with the health department she has seen city hall lacking in many areas of service to residents and believes city employees to be underpaid and underappreciated and wants to find ways of reinvesting in a great workforce.

She also noted the lack of pride throughout the community and said she feels a plan must be established to clean up, fix up and reinvest in the city. She said she also wants to see re-development of family focused sports locations, family recreation and activity facilities and focusing on the housing issues that plague the city.

Kinsey, who has never been convicted of a felony, said she feels that voters should choose her for several different reasons, but listed her perspective as the top one.

“My perspective on many hot topic issues pertaining to the city often varies drastically from those of my opponents. I do not judge people by what they say or how they say it,” Kinsey said. “I make judgement of issues and individuals based on need, character, honesty, integrity and work ethic. As a mother, a hardworking single woman with a large family, I feel my judgement is always based on clear and concise details when tasked with decisions large and small. I feel I possess wisdom of age without arrogance and will make wise choices for our city as its caretaker.”

Shawn McKinnon

McKinnon, at 27, the youngest of the three candidates, is a graduate of Lisbon David Anderson and currently attends Kent State University where he is working toward a degree in economics with a political science minor.

He has spent the last four years working in the title and banking industry.

The father of twin boys has not previously held any office and has not been appointed to any public body and is not currently involved in community activities.

McKinnon lists his qualifications for the position of mayor as his economics background, which he feels gives him a good understanding of what needs to be done to help East Liverpool boost its economy and revitalize.

“I am seeking office because I want to see the City of East Liverpool move forward and build upon what the current administration had done and take things a step further and make East Liverpool a place for people to be proud to live or open a business here,” McKinnon said.

McKinnon notes that he has never been convicted of a felony.

McKinnon feels the voters should elect him over the other candidates because he has youth, something the others don’t have. He describes himself as having a relentless passion to see the infrastructure, economy and general well-being of East Liverpool exceed expectations.

Bobby Smith

Smith is a 1977 graduate of East Liverpool High School who furthered his education in the military, where he attended a variety of schools and became an equipment officer. He has also trained in hazard materials and holds a hazmat certification.

Smith has been employed in a variety of positions including operating his own landscape business for 30 years, a member of the United States Navy Seabees, security at Sandy Valley Power Station, grounds/building maintenance for Dublin City Schools, firefighter with East Liverpool Fire Department, housing inspector for the City of East Liverpool. He is currently the superintendent at Columbiana County Memorial Park.

Smith and his wife Janie have raised five children.

The only elected office he has held has been as the union president at the East Liverpool Fire Department. His involvement in community activities has been to install the landscape/sod at the East Liverpool High School Clock Tower and he maintained the exit ramp area on Jackson Street for years. Smith notes he has a long list of activities.

Smith lists his qualifications for the position of mayor includes his management of business, and involvement with the community and people since he was 8 years old. He notes that he has served whatever community and his country with much effort.

“After being involved for over 35 years and working with six mayors, and listening to what East Liverpool has become in so many eyes, I have witnessed what does not work and see some common sense fixes for some of our problems that have caused us to decline in all aspects of life,” Smith said.

Smith feels voters should elect him over the other candidates because he has experience in the city’s issues, has been a longtime community supporter and has zero self-serving issues other than to help all citizens. He also feels he is more experienced at solving the problems the city has faced for years.

Smith noted that he has spoken with many of the city’s residents during his time as a firefighter and housing inspector and has been there with them through good and bad.

“This town and its people deserve much more than it’s received in the last 50 years,” Smith said. “I hope my team and I can get us moving in that direction.”