All eight district seats and one at-large position on Summit County Council are up for election this year.Four Democratic council members face opposition in the March 6 primary. Candidates in the other races have no primary opponents.At-largeCouncilwoman Sandra Kurt, who was appointed by the Democratic Party to replace Jon Poda last year, faces former Councilman Pete Crossland, who lost his re-election bid in 2010.They are seeking to complete Poda’s term, which runs through 2014.Kurt, 50, of Akron, an engineer at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., said she provides a different perspective on the council because of her engineering background, especially with the controversy surrounding hydraulic fracturing, a drilling technique commonly called “fracking.”She said the biggest challenge facing the county involves finances.“How do we continue to provide the services that are needed with fewer and fewer resources, thanks to cuts from the state and the general economy?” she asked.Kurt said the county must continue to look at ways to collaborate with other communities to save money.The county also must promote economic development in a collaborative way. She cited, as an example, Rochling Automotive USA, which broke ground this year on an automated 75,000-square-foot plastic parts plant in Springfield Township.Crossland, 74, a retired Kent State University professor and former state representative, cited his experience on the council as a major selling point for voters. He served more than 20 years.Besides the county’s ongoing financial issues, Crossland cited stormwater as a major concern. County Engineer Al Brubaker has proposed creating a stormwater utility and imposing a fee on property owners.Crossland said the county and its communities must come together and develop a collaborative plan. “Right now it’s a bad time to propose revenue increases,” he said.He also said he would like to see additional charter reform by centralizing the county government, like Cuyahoga County has done. For example, he supports making the engineer’s position appointed as opposed to elected. Voters have rejected that move.The winner of the primary will face Republican Jane Davis of Hudson in the general election.District 4Incumbent Frank Comunale faces Phil Montgomery, who serves on the Summit County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board.Comunale, 64, of Akron, a retired vice president of S.A. Comunale Inc., was appointed in December 2006 and won a four-year council term in 2008.He said a top priority will be developing a county-sponsored land bank to deal with vacant and abandoned properties. “It’s a real opportunity to protect neighborhoods,” he said.Comunale, who has focused on Akron crime in the district, also wants the county to continue to explore regionalism, including the possibility of reducing the number of elected county offices to save money for taxpayers. “Nothing is sacred when it comes to combining and blending services,” he said.The council’s main job is providing fiscal oversight for the county and serving as a check and balance for the administration, he said. The county also must look for ways to promote job creation through programs such as tax credits, he said, but the council’s role in economic development is limited.Montgomery, 30, of Akron, is an internal auditor with Time Warner Cable. Last year, he was an appointed member of Akron City Council.The county needs to focus on economic development and bringing jobs to the community to help stem the so-called “brain drain,” when young professionals move away from the Akron area, he said. “The more talented employment pool we have here is another way to incentivize businesses to locate here.”Montgomery also cited a need for consolidation and regionalism, questioning why the county has four GIS (Geographic Information System) departments. “Is that really necessary?” he asked. “They all serve the same function.”He also said he will take a special interest in social services. “How as a community and county we can ensure that our residents are getting the critical services that they need,” he said.District 4 covers portions of Akron and Bath Township.The winner will face Republican Gary Michael Hoover of Akron in the general election.District 6Incumbent Jerry Feeman, who is council president, faces Dan Congrove, who left council four years ago after failing to gather enough valid signatures on his re-election petitions.Feeman, 56, a property appraiser from Tallmadge, said his top priority would continue to be pushing for government collaboration. He cited as an example his effort to have communities band together when bidding on road projects, a move that saves money.The county also must focus on stormwater and sewer bills, he said. Feeman is worried about the county engineer’s proposal to creating a stormwater utility and charge a monthly fee because many communities already charge stormwater fees.He also wants to fix a discrepancy in sewer bills for customers with wells. Sewer customers with wells pay $186 per quarter, while others pay based on the amount of water they use.The county Department of Environmental Services has admitted some customers are being overcharged, but rates have not been adjusted.Congrove, 56, of Akron, who owns an exhaust cleaning company, said the council must rein in expenses at the Board of Elections, which spends substantially more than boards in the similar-sized counties of Lucas and Montgomery.Because of concerns about crime in the community, Congrove said, he would advocate a countywide half-percent sales tax to better fund police and fire departments. “It would help,” he said. “It’s not the answer. But it would help.”At the end of his last term, Congrove didn’t show up for many meetings or left early. He said that was related to new medication for a heart problem, and he’s “100 percent better now.”District 6 covers Tallmadge and southeast Akron.The winner will face Republican Faith M. Bennetts of Akron in the general election.District 7Incumbent Tim Crawford, who has been on council since 1993, faces Bryan Suboticki, a repair and maintenance worker at PPG Industries in Barberton.Crawford, 61, of Norton, cited the construction of an animal shelter and veterans services office and completion of the Towpath Trail in Barberton as major county accomplishments over the past four years.An insurance agent and former Norton mayor, Crawford has been a frequent critic of county spending. “Over the past eight years, I have been preaching that we were spending too much,” he said. “Finally, with the help of [County Executive] Russ Pry and the budget office, we’ve been able to cut the spending.”The county should continue to watch expenses and reduce employees through attrition, he said. Suboticki, 31, of Barberton, said his “top priority on council will be working to save and create the jobs we desperately need to move the communities of District 7 — and the entire region — forward.”Suboticki, whose father, Paul, served on Barberton City Council, also said he wants to work on innovative ways for communities in the southwest portion of the county to collaborate, “though I am opposed to a merger between the Norton police and the sheriff’s department at this time.”District 7 covers Barberton, Clinton, New Franklin, Norton and a portion of southwest Akron.The winner will face Republican Larry Ashbaugh of New Franklin in the general election.Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.