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Chris Stoll (Barberton Member of City Council, Ohio, candidate 2025)
Chris Stoll (Democratic Party) is running for election to Barberton Member of City Council in Ohio on November 4, 2025.[1]
Elections
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Chris Stoll completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Stoll's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I have a wide range of life experiences - from working as a laborer while in college and serving as an enlisted person in the military, to developing computer algorithms and building venture scale businesses - that make me an ideal candidate to represent the diverse population of Barberton.
After graduating from Barberton High School I left Barberton to join the US Army. Upon returning from an overseas tour in Iraq, I used the GI Bill to get a Bachelors of Arts in History and then a Masters of Science in Computer Science. I worked for numerous regional software companies before turning to entrepreneurship.
My wife and I had been waiting for an opportunity to move into one of the large old houses around Lake Anna, and when one finally went on the market we moved back to Barberton. We have three grown sons, and can frequently be found walking our dogs around downtown Barberton.
- Local government provides most of the critical infrastructure we expect: clean water, a safe community, ice-free roads in the winter, and pothole-free roads in the summer. To accomplish all of these things we need our government to be effective. As a business owner I understand the need for fiscal responsibility, but I also know that we don't want to be penny wise and pound foolish. We need to make sure that tax money is invested wisely so that we can bring more prosperity to Barberton.
- Barberton's future prosperity depends upon us joining together with a sense of community and actively investing in our town. As a part of that we will need to hold ourselves and our neighbors accountable; we need to have pride in our city, and should all be expected to continually work to make Barberton a better place to live, work, and visit.
- With an effective government and a community of proud citizens, we will need to encourage people from outside of Barberton to give us a second look. We have the infrastructure, support, and space to bring new families and businesses into Barberton. We need to find ways to encourage outsiders to come and see the potential that we see in our community.
For executive offices where a single person has broad individual responsibilities and limited day-to-day oversight, I think previous experience is critical. Small cities, like Barberton, run on very thin budgets. Any mismanagement can quickly lead to situations which are hard to recover from. For collective bodies, such as city council, I think it is less important that any individual have prior experience. Ideally, the body has an average level of experience, with a few members being relative experts.
City council is responsible for overseeing a huge swath of local government activities, and though each individual member may not have deep insight on any one topic, they can bring together broad high-level perspectives when practitioners are stuck in the details.
My grandmother had a huge influence on me when I was young, and I looked up to her for many reasons. She valued family, was industrious, and didn't dwell on things that ultimately didn't matter. All people are fallible their shortcomings are often not known until latter, so I try not to look up to living people; there's a reason for the saying "never meet your heroes." I draw inspiration from the Buddha, Jesus, and Kant.
The main thing is pragmatism. We live in an imprefect world, and thus have to make imperfect choices. I am able to see the big picture of where we want to go and navigate the small detaurs needed to get there.
Other than talking with many people representing varying viewpoints, curiosity is a key skill. As a body with broad oversight, city council cannot be experts on all the activities performed by the city. So, a keen instinct for asking the right questions is a great skill to have.
I am an amateur photogrpaher, so I'd love to leave a legacy of film and photographs that people can look back upon to understand the things that shaped the period we are living throuugh; through that experience I would hope that they could draw some lessons for the time in which they live.
At the local level, the most important qualifier for an elected official is the ability to effectively work with a wide range of people. We want to know that our elected officials are listening to all the stakeholders' concerns, standing up for what is right for the community, knowing when to stand firm, and knowing when to compromise.
City council is legislative branch of the city. It is responsible for working with the mayor to oversee the city's operation. While the mayor is responsible for day-to-day activities, council can set policy through legislation, appointee oversight, and financial oversight.
When it comes to Barberton I am most interested in economic revitalization. I am less worried about where we are with things right now and more interested in spinning up a growth flywheel. To fix our roads faster we need a larger tax base, which requires attracting people to town, which requires infrastructure investments. We need to invest our tax dollars in activities which will contribute to a positive growth cycle.
In a representative democracy it is a absolute necessity that the activities of elected officials must be transparent. Voters should be intolerant of impropriety, and to fairly determine that they need transparency. The role of city council it to help hold other portions of municipal government accountable, and in turn voters should hold council members accountable.
Local government provides clean water for people to drink, removes waste water, and manages storm water. Municipalities provide safety forces and safe roads to drive on. They also negotiate lower collective utility rates. Most of the important things people assume should just be there are provided at the local level. For most people, local government is the governmental level that has the most influence on their day-to-day lives.
City council's legislative powers are often overlooked, but they can set the tone for activities in the city.
While in high school I worked at a computer store and a men's clothing store in Rolling Acres Mall. I gave up that lucrative work when I shipped off for basic training.
I recently went on a roadtrip with my wife and we traveled Route 66; the song little known song "Tucumacari Tonight" by Ben Jarrell got stuck in my head. You should give it a listen
The book that has been most influential to me is "How to Win Friends and Influence People." The book has been around for a very long time and had its criticism, but I think it maintains relevance today due to it containing timeless insights into human affairs. The message that resonated with me is that everyone is naturally more in tune with their needs and desires, and if you want to get anything done then you should learn to listen to those around you. The book conveys complicated game-theory topics in simple terms: in real-world scenarios no one wants to voluntarily participate in zero-sum games, so if you can find scenarios where all participants can benefit you are more likely to make progress in whatever you want to accomplish.
I am naturally an introvert, so I have constantly struggled with being the right level of outgoing.
I'm more of an oportunistic situational comedian, but here's one I heard lately: What camera do polar bears love? Polaroids
Sean O'Connell from the movie "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
The book that has been most influential to me is "How to Win Friends and Influence People." The book has been around for a very long time and had its criticism, but I think it maintains relevance today due to it containing timeless insights into human afairs. The message that resonated with me is that everyone is naturally more in tune with their needs and desires, and if you want to get anything done then you should learn to listen to those around you. The book conveys complicated game-theory topics in simple terms: in real-world scenarios no one wants to voluntarily participate in zero-sum games, so if you can find scenarios where all participants can benefit you are more likely to make progress in whatever you want to accomplish.
The first significant, and certainly most important, historical event that I experienced was 9/11. That event led to the Iraq war and my deployment overseas.
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External links
[1] ↑ Submitted to Ballotpedia's candidate survey in 2025.
