Christine Cipa has joined Tallmadge City Council as its newest at-large member. 

A longtime city resident and former Tallmadge Board of Education member, Cipa said she is eager to “catch up” on council business and serve the community. 

“My husband and I love it here,” she said. “We love Tallmadge. If we didn't, we wouldn't still be here. We have a great school system. We have great neighborhoods. My goal, I guess, is you love something like this, you'll do whatever it takes to make it better.”

Cipa was appointed by the Summit County Republican Party’s central committee to complete the term of Adam Bozic. He resigned in November for health reasons, but the term continues through the end of 2025.  

Cipa, 62, has lived in Tallmadge since 1996 with her husband. They raised three now-adult children in the city and own Esterle Construction Co., which they operate out of their home. 

“So we're invested in this community,” Cipa said. 

In addition to managing the books for their company, Cipa works in customer service at Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital. She is a trustee of the Tallmadge Foundation and also was a trustee of the Tallmadge Chamber of Commerce. 

Cipa was active in the PTA while her children were in school and served on the school board from 2011 to 2023.

“We passed levies for new money. We passed levies for a new elementary and the middle school, and then a levy for our new athletic facilities,” she said.

Cipa was ready to retire from public service at the end of her school board term but, when people suggested she apply for the vacant council seat, she thought “why not?”

Jonathon D. Bollas, vice president of the council, introduced her during Dec. 12’s regular meeting. Cipa was sworn in earlier that day by Judge Scot Stevenson.

“First of all, I’d like to welcome Christine Cipa to the city of Tallmadge as our newest at-large council person,” Mayor Carol Siciliano-Kilway said before her administrative report. “Thank you very much for putting your name in, and I’m very happy that you were selected.”

The council meeting included financial reports and a memo from Finance Director Mollie Gilbride about city funds and revenue through November. 

According to Gilbride, the city’s general fund had 5.58%, or $753,391, more income tax revenue than this time last year and surpassed the budget estimate for this year, as of the end of November. Withholdings and net profit tax revenue were up, while individual collections were slightly lower than the same period last year.

“We’ve had a pretty good year financially,” Gilbride told the council. “Our income tax has been coming in better than expected and, for the most part, without a few other things that we’ve brought to council throughout, we’ve been able to keep everything within budget.”

The council also adopted a $58.5 million budget for 2025 that included a $24.3 million general fund. The budget appropriated $5.66 million for sanitary sewer operations and $4.49 million for street maintenance and repair.

Cipa abstained from most votes, later citing her unfamiliarity with the legislation.

Other council action included: