RICHFIELD: Summit County Councilman at-large Bill Roemer has kept his commitment to voters and donated $11,850, which is half of his annual salary, to Summit County charities.
Roemer, a Richfield resident, was elected as one of council’s three at-large members in November 2010. He is in the third year of his four-year term. During his 2010 campaign, Roemer focused on fiscal restraint and promised, if elected, to donate half of his salary to charity if the county did not propose a balanced general fund budget and maintain it.
According to Roemer, during 2011, Summit County had expenditures of $101.7 million and revenue of $99.9 million, resulting in a deficit of $1.8 in the general fund. Last year, Roemer formed a committee of county residents, which accepted proposals from various county charities.
“This is a promise I made two years ago,” said Roemer. “It is important to give back to the community, and I believe this will benefit many charities spread throughout Summit County.”
Donations were given to 22 Summit County charities, with the most significant donations made to: Battered Women’s Shelter, International Institute of Akron, Open M, Boys and Girls Club of the Western Reserve, Victim Assistance Program and Flashes of Hope Pediatric Cancer.
According to Suzanne Hollon, the director of resource development for the Boys and Girls Clubs, Roemer’s donation will help the organization to continue to provide a safe place for children, ages 5-18 when the school day has ended.
“Councilman Roemer’s generous gift will be doubled due to a matching grant the Clubs received from an anonymous donor, thus allowing us to provide even more opportunities to Akron’s youth,” said Hollon.
Roemer said the entire process educated him on the many charities in Summit County. He added that he will be donating again next year since County Council learned this month that the 2012 General Fund was not in balance.
