Author: kosekforcouncil

“Why are you running for council?”

I’ve served on Strongsville City Council since 2018. The emphasis here is on service. My parents taught me the importance of serving my community. With my experience as a councilmember and attorney, I serve on council to advocate for and be a voice for Strongsville residents. 

During my time on council, I have been a champion of residents and families, without raising taxes.  Since 2018, I have been a leader in advocating for new amenities:  the new Town Center, including pickleball courts, an ADA-compliant playground, and a splashpad (2024), Silver Sneakers (2021), and the Surrarrer Park playground (2018). I also worked with other councilmembers to create a Strongsville Family movie night.

As a councilmember, residents can count on me to ask the questions that residents want answered.  My goal is to solve and prevent problems facing Strongsville and its residents, while be a careful steward of taxpayers’ dollars.  For example, Prospect road residents continually experienced flooding issues and I helped bring the issue to the forefront so that the city could get federal funding to solve the flooding issue. I will always do my best to listen to and advocate for residents, whether the residents are concerned about traffic, flooding, re-zoning, or other local issues.  In fact, I recently voted against the rezoning for the hotel near Ledgewood.

With the possibility of the Browns’ stadium being built in Brookpark, Strongsville should see an increased interest from businesses, which will allow Strongsville generational opportunities for re-development.  This includes the possibility of real change to Southpark Mall, a staple of our retail community.  To capitalize on those opportunities, we need council members who are willing to ask difficult questions, suggest changes, and disagree with the administration when it is necessary to do so.  I have the skills and experience to continue to be an advocate for our residents in the face of opposition.  My voting record proves that I listen to residents.  I hope that Strongsville residents will continue to support me by voting to re-elect me in November.

And just like that, Election Day is tomorrow (Nov. 2)!

If you haven’t already voted, I hope you’ll go out to the polls to vote. Please remind your friends and family too.

Setting aside Jedi mind tricks, I would appreciate if you included me on your ballot for Strongsville Council At-Large! See you at the polls!

It feels so great when you accomplish a goal!

Since joining Council, Ann Roff and I have been working towards getting Silver Sneakers accepted at the Strongsville Rec Center. In 2019, we heard from so many residents that they were tired of going to other community’s rec centers to exercise and that they wanted to come to the Strongsville Rec Center. With the pandemic, the Rec center has seen the its revenue decrease. It was a perfect opportunity to re-visit Silver Sneakers and at last everyone agreed that it made sense to partner with Silver Sneakers! And today, October 26, is the first day that Silver Sneakers will be accepted at the Strongsville Rec Center.

Ann Roff and I had a wonderful time celebrating the opening of Silver Sneakers today with residents (and a little popcorn!) as residents came to the Rec Center to register for the Silver Sneakers program. If you missed us today, you can register any time at the Rec.

It’s no secret that I’m a proud mom and lawyer. I’ve used my experiences as a lawyer and as a mom to bring a different perspective to council. You can be certain that when I’m reading a proposed ordinance, I’m considering the legal consequences of the proposal. And I hope you know by now that I take my role as an advocate for all residents quite seriously. In fact, growing up in a working-class family, I understand what it’s like to struggle when times are tough, so I’ve been steadfast in not raising taxes as a councilmember.

But as I was reflecting on this year’s council race, I realized that in addition to my compassion as a mom and problem-solving skills as an attorney, I am the only candidate for Council At-Large who has 20 years of experience in the private sector.

As a partner in a mid-sized law firm, I have responsibility for the success the business. I help to navigate all the issues that arise in a private company, such as marketing efforts, controlling costs, attracting new clients, etc. And my business experience is not limited to being a law-firm partner. As a business litigator, I work with a variety of businesses to represent them in contractual and business disputes and provide legal and practical advice.

Working in the private sector, I’ve learned about achieving efficiencies that can help cut through some government red tape. I also understand what it takes for a business to be successful, and I can use that knowledge to help improve Strongsville’s economic development.

As a councilmember, I am uniquely positioned to leverage my experiences as a businessperson, lawyer, and mom. I consider the needs of residents and balance those needs with my understanding of the law and business to ensure that Strongsville is economically healthy, and also attractive and responsive to residents. It’s that kind of experience that allows me to help our administration maintain Strongsville’s AAA bond rating in spite of the financial crisis of 2020, while still focusing on adding new amenities like Silver Sneakers and ADA-compliant playgrounds.

I have the right mix of experience to navigate Strongsville through whatever the future holds. I hope you’ll agree and vote for me on November 2 (or earlier, if you’ve requested an absentee ballot).

Q: What is Silver Sneakers?

A: SilverSneakers is a health and fitness program designed for Seniors that’s included with many Medicare Plans. If you currently have a Medicare Plan and you want to see if it includes SilverSneakers, you can check your SilverSneakers eligibility instantly here.

Q: What is included in Silver Sneakers?

A: I understand that there are online offerings, but you can also go to participating gyms at no additional cost to you, simply by entering your membership number. We’re so excited in Strongsville that the Rec Center is now a participating gym!

Q: Will exercise classes be included in the Silver Sneakers at the Strongsville Rec?

A: At this time, no. But Silver Sneakers members will be able to sign up for the exercise classes that are offered at the Rec at the discounted membership rate.

Q: When will the Strongsville Rec begin accepting Silver Sneakers?

A: On October 26!

Q: Does it cost seniors anything to use Silver Sneakers?

A: If you already have a Medicare plan that includes Silver Sneakers, then no! You can come to the Strongsville Rec and Senior center at no additional cost! Your Medicare plan will pay the Rec center $2.50 per visit, so it’s a benefit for YOU and Strongsville.

If you have more questions, the Strongsville Rec center can help answer. But of course, I can help with any questions you might have, too!

Strongsville Seniors have been waiting for Silver Sneakers a long time, but it’s finally OFFICIAL!

Silver Sneakers will be accepted at the Strongsville Rec center starting on October 26.

Since I joined council in 2018, I have been working with my fellow councilmembers to have our Rec Center join the Silver Sneakers program. I remember having conversations with Seniors in 2019 and promising them that this would be a top priority, so I’m really proud to share that we did it!

I have a strong record of doing what I say I’m going to do.

In 2017, I said we needed an ADA-Compliant playground. And in 2018, we installed Surrarrer Park’s new playground.

In 2018, I said we needed more community activities. In 2019, we held our first free outdoor movie night.

In 2019, I promised Seniors that we would make Silver Sneakers a priority. As of Oct. 26, 2021, we have Silver Sneakers.

I’ve also been working to bring a splash pad and other amenities, like a dog park, to Strongsville, and I know that with the first phase of the Town Center plan, we’re well on our way to getting those amenities too!

I hope you’ll vote for me on November 2 to allow me to continue my work and to represent all of Strongsville!

Residents often ask, “Why are you running for Strongsville Council? You have so much on your plate.”

It’s true that I have a lot of responsibilities as a lawyer and as a mom, but, in my childhood, I learned the Girl Scout law to leave a place better than I found it. So the short answer is that I am running to make Strongsville better by serving residents.

Residents deserve a councilmember who:

• advocates for adding amenities, like Silver Sneakers, pickleball, and playgrounds.
• helps to get their street paved and plowed.
• thinks outside of the box, questions the status quo, and builds consensus on council.
• is fiscally responsible and who won’t raise taxes.

Since 2018, I’ve accomplished all of these things to help make Strongsville better. I hope you’ll vote for me on November 2 to allow me to continue my service.

Election day is right around the corner, so it’s time for one last fundraiser to help bring the Kosek campaign over the finish line.

Join us for an Online Happy Hour to Support COUNCILWOMAN KELLY KOSEK For Strongsville Council At-Large on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at 7 pm.

Grab your favorite drink, snack, and comfy pants and join us for a happy hour from your own living room, kitchen, deck…

Kelly will answer questions and will be joined by Special Guests!

Donations made be made online: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/kosekzoom

Please RSVP to KosekforCouncil@gmail.com, so that the Zoom Link can be forwarded to you!

When those thunderstorms roll through, you cross your fingers and hope that you don’t lose power. But if the power does go out, you want to get it back on as soon as possible. To ensure that happens, it’s important to report the problem to the electric company so they can send someone out to fix it. You can call to report an outage at 888-LIGHTSS, enter it on their website, or submit the outage via text!

To submit an outage report via text, you need to register first. Just text REG to 544487. You’ll need your First Energy account number to complete the registration. Once you’re registered just text “OUT” to report your problem. Simple!

#VoteKelly21 #ForwardforStrongsville #ForwardwithKosek

As a councilwoman, I’ve heard from so many residents that they wish that the Strongsville Rec Center accepted Silver Sneakers. Seniors have told me they have been going elsewhere to exercise. Other residents mentioned that their mom or dad would love to go to the Rec to exercise and swim.

So I got to work. The pandemic created an opportunity to bring a desirable program to Strongsville–at no additional cost to residents. And not just that; the Silver Sneakers program will pay $2.50 per Rec Center visit. This is a WIN-WIN.

The Rec Center is expected to announce that they can begin accepting Silver Sneakers in October 2021. So stay tuned!!