District 67 candidate asks Brunswick mayor to resign

BRUNSWICK — A recent Facebook post from Republican Brunswick Mayor Ron Falconi criticizing U.S. President Joe Biden's handling of the war in Ukraine drew in-person backlash Monday night. Brunswick resident Drew Burge, a Democrat who like Falconi is vying to become Ohio's District 67 state representative, took the podium during a meeting of City Council and asked the mayor to step down from office. "(Falconi) posted on his Facebook page that weak leadership gave us the Russian invasion of Ukraine and that Joe Biden is weak," Burge said. "While I don't really have a problem with that as a private citizen, I'm kind of disappointed due to the fact we have such a large population here in Brunswick that associates itself as being of Ukrainian descent or eastern European descent. "It's just appalling to me seeing those words because there's an authoritarian government that's attacking a democratic government. There's people over there who are literally dying right now. I'm just disappointed that our ceremonial mayor who's representing us is doing that in a negative light. Personally, I think you owe the population of Brunswick an apology and that you should resign." A private conversation between Falconi and Burge after the meeting lasted just a few minutes with no voices raised and the exchange ending with a handshake. "When I saw what was going on in Ukraine and with Russia I just wanted to say that my heart goes out to the Ukrainian people at this time," Falconi said after speaking to Burge. "A lot of the stories that are coming out several days after the invasion are just heart-wrenching. Then you see missiles hitting buildings and it just makes you feel very, very bad. "I wished the American government could have done more and I'm very disappointed in the president and his administration. To me, it seems to be portraying American weakness. I don't believe these things would have happened if Donald Trump was president. I think all of these sanctions should have been considered way before instead of just last week. That would have been a good starting point right there." Much of what probably will become District 67 has been part of Ohio's District 70 in recent years and represented by Republican and Loudonville resident Darrell Kick. Kick intends to run in the new Ohio District 98, which is slated to be made up of all of Knox County as well as parts of Holmes and Morrow counties. He will vacate his District 70 seat at the end of 2022 under the proposed new district map, which is subject to ongoing litigation. In addition to Falconi and Burge, District 67 candidates include Loudonville Village Council President Matt Young, Akron nonprofit director Melanie Miller, and Valley City resident Terry Robertson. Robertson unsuccessfully challenged Kick in 2020's primary. Outside of Burge, those who've officially declared intention to run are Republicans. Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.