Meet the candidates for Newark City Council’s third ward: Molly Ingold and Marci Fones

Two women – Molly Ingold and Marci Fones – are facing off to represent Newark City Council’s third ward. 

Molly Ingold

Molly Ingold, a Newark resident for almost 50 years, is running as a republican for Newark City Council’s third ward. Ingold beat incumbent Jeff Rath, who served on the council for 16 years, in the May primary earlier this year. 

She credits the win against Rath to her friends, who wrote 320 letters to voters that had a track record of voting in primaries. Though this is Ingold’s first time running for city council, she previously served on the Newark City Schools Board of Education, was the board president of the Licking County Foundation, and served on Newark’s Charter Commission, a committee that proposed a charter for Newark approved by voters in 1997. Ingold was also the first woman president of Newark’s Rotary Club. 

Ingold has many years of experience in human resources, and she said she is proud of her strength in communication and collaboration. 

“One of the things that I think I do is I collaborate with folks,” Ingold said. “I’ve been told that I listen well.”

Ingold said community means a lot to her, and she is encouraged by all of the development occurring in downtown Newark, including the restoration of the Louis Sullivan Building – which Ingold played a part in through the Licking County Foundation – and the Newark Arcade. Ingold said that though she was once disheartened by the hardships Newark faced, she has decided that instead of moving away and letting somebody else take care of it, she wants to play a part in Newark’s revitalization. 

“I decided that I loved my community, and I’m not going to run away,” Ingold said. 

The most important issue facing Newark’s third ward is growth, according to Ingold. 

“I think we have to be careful,” Ingold said. “We need to make plans, we need to talk about it, we need to involve the community as well as the council, developers, those kinds of things.”

To address the growth that Newark’s third ward is experiencing, Ingold believes Newark needs a strategic plan. Ingold said that with new apartment complexes going up, as well as the new Packing Corporation of America facility on Thornwood Drive, the roads will need some work due to increased traffic. Ingold said that an increase in people moving to Newark may also mean growing the police and fire department. Ingold supports the half percent income tax on the ballot as a method to keep up with the growth. 

“We really have to be thinking about, what are we doing, how’s it working, and where do we go from here?” Ingold said. 

When asked about the Newark camping ban passed by the council last year, Ingold said that she was not present for any of the conversations about the ban, though she said her heart tells her that it was probably not the best decision. Ingold supports the creation of the HOMEourt program as a way for people to get back on their feet.   

Marci Fones

Marci Fones, running as the democratic candidate, is an experienced HR director and project manager. Fones said she has a unique skill set due to her experience working for the international electric corporation ABB, as well as running her own start-ups. 

While Fones spent most of her life in California, Newark is her chosen home. Initially, Fones had family move here, and after visiting them repeatedly, she decided that she loved Newark. Being from Silicon Valley, Fones said she is prepared to help guide Newark’s development in response to growth. 

“I’d like to help guide (Newark) so that it doesn’t hit all the pitfalls Silicon Valley did,” Fones said.

Along with planning for the anticipated growth in Newark’s third ward, Fones said she wants to look out for Newark’s vulnerable residents. Fones volunteers at the warming and cooling centers when active in the summer and winter, and said it’s important to know and the service providers in Newark to learn the issues they face. Fones also wants to support police and fire departments with increased funding and access to mental health resources. 

Among other issues, Fones said Newark’s city council must address the lack of housing and public transportation. The health and safety needs of Newark’s vulnerable neighborhoods in general have been paid little attention by the current council, according to Fones, and she wants to change that.

“I am certain in Newark we could find areas that could be converted into affordable housing without a huge amount of financial investment,” Fones said. “We need to be creative. That’s what I bring to the table.”

Education is another important issue for Fones. Fones said educational resources have already been stretched, and that the council must find ways to continue to support schools as Newark grows. 

Fones also supports the creation of a strategic plan. 

“It needs to be long term, and it needs to be developed in such a way that it can be adjusted as things change, because they always change,” Fones said. “I think that my background in continuous improvement really helps with that.”

When asked about Newark’s camping ban, Fones said that while HOME Court is a way to provide resources to unhoused people, the camping ban does not address the root causes of the problem. 

“Some of them have drug issues, some of them have mental [health] issues, so let’s address and understand the sources and put in plans to help that,” Fones said.

Election Day is Nov. 4. 

Maddie Luebkert writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.