Like most cities in Ohio, Alliance has a city council. The number of members on a city council depends on the population of the city. Right now, Alliance has four wards with an elected representative from each ward. Alliance also has three "Council at Large" positions. "Council at Large" means the persons elected to that position represent the whole city, not just a section of it. It makes you wonder how they came up with all this stuff in the beginning, doesn't it?

The first ward covers mostly the northern part of the city. The Council Member from Ward One is Roger Rhome. The second ward takes in most of the eastern part of the city, from Rockhill to the Mahoning County line. The Council Member from the Ward Two is Phyllis Phillips. The boundaries of the third ward run from South St. to the southern city limits, over to Rockhill. The Ward Three Council Member is Randy Pope. Ward Four takes in the rest of the city. The Council Member from Ward Four is Jack Weaver. Council at Large representatives are Alan Andreani, Cody Combs, and Doug Schwarz.

What do these people do for me, you ask? Well, these are the folks that get the phone calls about the neighbor's dog barking all night. They get complaints about everything you can imagine. But if you have a concern about something in your neighborhood, the Council Member is the one to contact. Sometimes there's not a thing they can do about it. But other times they can help you look for a solution to a situation. That's why they ran for office in the first place. It certainly wasn't for the money. The position pays about $3,600 a year.

In general, City Council is the governing body of the city. They vote on issues presented to them which impacts, controls, or benefits the residents of the city. You may agree or disagree with them, but they won't know how you feel about it if you don't tell them.

City Council meets the first and third Monday of each month, unless the Monday falls on a holiday. Then the meeting is moved to Tuesday. Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. on the third floor of the City Hall building at 470 E. Market St. The meeting is public and there is even a public speaks portion where residents can bring issues to the attention of City Council. The issue usually needs to be something that City Council can do something about. It doesn't do much good to talk to City Council about something they can't control.

City Council positions are two-year terms. Every two years you get to go to the ballot box and either re-elect them or boot them out. The President of Council is also a two-year elected position. Our current President of Council is John Benincasa. The President of Council conducts the meeting and keeps everyone under control. He (or she) doesn't vote on an issue unless there is a tie. The President of Council then gets to cast the tie-breaking vote.

Some day our City Council meetings will be broadcast on cable television. They probably won't win any Emmy nominations, but they might be fun to watch. Until then, you can watch the happenings twice a month in Council Chambers. If you need the phone number of your representative, you can call the city administration building at 330-821-3110. Or you can mail your Council Member in care of the City Administration Building at 504 E. Main Street.