ELYRIA — For those who braved the cold temperatures and snow showers Tuesday to participate in the city’s historic recall election, the day was about letting their voice be heard in the most important election of the city’s history.

The reasons why voters voted were many, but by the end of the night Grace, two years into his third four-year term, was retained as mayor after getting 58 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results from the Lorain County Board of Elections.

That broke down to 4,250 people who voted to keep him, and 3,137 who voted to oust him.

Those in favor of ousting Grace midterm included Christopher Ceiling of 14th Street.

“I have been very upset with the city of Elyria for a long time,” he said. “This administration has let jobs go away, not fixed up the city when it needed it and cut safety forces. The business community is just leaving Elyria.”

For the business owners that are staying, Tuesday was about bringing about change.

“I voted that he should not continue,” said Greg Dempsey, owner of Journey Around Music on Cleveland Street. “He should have taken the city where it could have been taken. He hasn’t done enough to help businesses in the city.”

While Dempsey said he will acknowledge Grace has made many attempts to beautify the city, he questions why it has been done at the expense of the safety forces and efficient spending of tax dollars.

“He is a nice guy to talk to, but with the issues at hand in the city, I just think there could be other things done or ideas entertained.”

However, Grace supporters thought a midterm recall election was not the time or place to change the city’s leadership.

“He has done as good of a job as he could with the budget he had,” said Wilson Howe, 45, of Vassar Avenue. “For that he faces a recall — this is a total waste of our money.”

Many others thought the potential $50,000 bill Tuesday’s election will rack up is money not well spent.
“You need to look at his work and time in office as a whole,” said Ryan Quinn, 35, of University Avenue. “He has built a good infrastructure.”

Blaming Grace for the city’s economic woes will not help the city, added Georgia Avenue resident Alicia Schurch, 38.

“I think he has done a good job. It’s the economy. It’s not his fault,” she said.

Efforts to recall Grace started more than a year ago and have since been fueled by decisions he has made to balance the city’s budget by cutting firefighters and closing fire stations. Next year, it will be police officers that will be on the receiving end of layoff notices.

Residents have taken notice and used Tuesday as a referendum on the decisions the administration has made in cutting both the Police and Fire departments.

“The safety forces are a big issue for the city,” said 35-year-old Art Poling of Columbus Street. “We don’t want to wonder how long it will take for the police to show up or know my house could burn down waiting for the Fire Department.”

For 20-year-old Becky Myers of Ohio Street placing lights on state Route 57 and fixing some of the pothole-pocked roads in the city are not enough signs of progress to convince her to vote for Grace.

“I think he is spending our money poorly,” she said. “He should be spending our money on better things like not firing firefighters.”

By the time Grace began celebrating his victory Tuesday night, it was apparent it was the result of bipartisan support.

“I just really disagree with this entire recall,” said Dan Graves of Ashland Avenue.

Graves, the husband of Elyria Municipal Court Judge Lisa Locke-Graves and former chairman of the Elyria Republican Party, said he voted to keep Grace in office and it had nothing to do with Grace’s politics.

“I may not agree with everything he’s done, but he shouldn’t be recalled,” he said Tuesday afternoon after voting at East Park Recreation Center.

Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or lroberson@chroniclet.com.

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