Thompson to be appointed as Newton Falls councilman

Thompson was the only applicant for the vacancy.
NEWTON FALLS -- City council was to appoint Eric Thompson Sr., a businessman, to the vacant 2nd Ward council seat at a special meeting this afternoon.
Thompson, 40, will serve for the roughly 16 months that remained in the term of former councilman Lester Irwin.
Irwin was voted out of office during a recall election last month.
"The people of Newton Falls have had enough of controversy and want to see stability," said Thompson. "That I can help offer them."
Thompson, of 315 Marshall Ave., has been a city resident 10 years. Since 1993 he has been a co-owner and operator of Satolli Carpet & amp; Floor Covering and Hometown Mattress & amp; Futon in Warren.
He was the only applicant for the 2nd Ward vacancy, officials said.
Thompson said he has been considering a run for council for years. He decided not to put his name on the ballot in the recall election to replace Irwin because he wanted to stay out of the controversy.
"It was a mess," he said. "I just felt for my business, for my family, it was better that I sit and wait," he said.
Thompson and his wife, Sue, are the parents of two daughters and a son, Katlyn, 11, Eric Jr., 12, and Sara, 18.
Council also was expected to appoint Phillip Beer to the planning and zoning commission and Robert Cunningham to the civil service commission.