Brunswick City Councilman Frank Raso dead at 49

BRUNSWICK — Ward 3 City Councilman Frank Raso died Tuesday night at the age of 49, following a nearly four-year battle with lung cancer. Brunswick Mayor Ron Falconi posted to Facebook on Tuesday night saying it was "a sad (day) in Brunswick as we mourn the passing of my friend and fellow Padua grad, Councilman Frank Raso." "He gave me the honor of administering his oath of office only a few months ago," Falconi said in his post. "Thank you for your service to our city, councilman. Our prayers and thoughts are with your wife and children during this challenging time." Raso was elected in November, defeating Andrea Rodriguez, who had been in the Ward 3 seat following Joe Salzgeber's resignation in February 2019. Prior to his time with council, Raso received his law degree from Capital University in 1997 and was an attorney for the past 22 years, spending three years as the assistant Medina County Prosecutor up until February. During his time with council, Raso served on the city's finance, parks and recreation and safety and environment committees. "He loved being a councilman and he absolutely loved being a Medina County (assistant) prosecutor," Kathy Raso said. "When he had to stop doing (his job as assistant prosecutor), a little part of him was gone. And then the council thing came and it was like a light again." From mid-May 2019 to the end of January, Frank Raso would "work cases from the couch," according to Kathy, to whom Frank was married for 21 years. "The guy was amazing," Kathy Raso said. "His will and perseverance, he loved it. He was always on his phone and saying that they needed to issue warrants and all that stuff." Per the city charter, the next steps to fill Raso's seat is to advertise the opening, have council interview candidates and appoint an interim council member within the next 30 days to fill the seat for the remainder of the term until the next regular election. Nick Hanek, Ward 2 councilman and council president Pro Tem, offered his condolences to Raso's friends and family, adding in an email that "Councilman Raso was very professional as a councilman with a sincere dedication to the residents of Brunswick. He was a pleasure to work with due to his positive attitude and preparation." Anthony Caprettta, Ward 4 councilman, said that he had "the utmost respect for Frank Raso," and recalled a conversation in which he said Raso earned that respect. "As soon as he was elected, I congratulated him, of course," Capretta said. "We ended up meeting and he said to me, 'Just because we're Italian and just because we're Republican, (that) doesn't mean we're going to agree on everything. I want you to know I am my own man, I will make the decisions based on facts.' "That stayed with me and I respected it so much. I had the utmost respect for him just from that conversation." Capretta said he was grateful he got to know not only Raso, but also his family on a "personal level." "What a lovely, Christian family," Capretta said. "I just wish I could have known him for another 30 years. He was a real gentile soul and a nice person." Along with keeping up with work with the prosecutor's office and later with council, Frank Raso didn't let his cancer diagnosis get the best of him. In 2018, he received his third-degree black belt in Taekwondo, with his 16-year-old daughter Olivia and 10-year-old son Antonio following in his footsteps. "On Monday, he was doing his virtual (council) meeting and he was at the table, had his iPad and he was good," his wife said. "He was good Tuesday morning, he got up and had his breakfast, it was - I don't know. You just don't know. Life is precious. "It was a true blessing to a friend and married to that man," Kathy Raso said. "He gave me two beautiful children and I am very blessed. It is a tough road right now but knowing how many people loved Frank and respected him, it makes it that much easier now." Contact reporter Jack Kopanski at (330) 721-4063 or jkopanski@medina-gazette.com.