Lorain Deserves Better: A Deep Dive Into the 2025 At-Large Council Race
By Aaron Knapp, Investigative Journalist
Apr 28, 2025
Editor’s Note: This updated version corrects inaccuracies published in the original article. The first version incorrectly stated that Angel Arroyo ran for Mayor of Lorain in 2023 and that Mary Springowski ran for a ward-specific council seat. In fact, Angel Arroyo did not run for Mayor, and Mary Springowski has consistently served as an At-Large Councilmember. Additionally, Springowski finished second in the 2023 Democratic mayoral primary behind incumbent Mayor Jack Bradley, not third. Further verified updates include her 2023 vote to retroactively ratify an unauthorized legal contract with an outside law firm tied to utility overcharge litigation. Integrity and accuracy are paramount to our reporting, and we remain committed to upholding those standards. We sincerely apologize for any confusion caused and have undertaken a full factual review based on public election records, council meeting documents, and citizen correspondence.
Introduction: The Stakes for Lorain in 2025
Lorain stands at a crossroads in 2025. With a city battered by economic stagnation, rising crime, and a crumbling infrastructure, the need for strong, ethical leadership has never been more urgent. Voters are tasked with choosing three at-large councilmembers who will not merely occupy seats, but actively work to rebuild a city in dire need of principled governance.
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City Council At-Large members represent the entire city, not just one ward. Their responsibilities include overseeing city budgets, approving development projects, shaping public safety policy, and ensuring transparency in local government. The stakes are enormous: mismanagement or corruption at this level impacts every street, every business, and every resident.
Lorain faces a critical election in 2025. With infrastructure crumbling, public trust in leadership eroding, and long-standing political power brokers clinging to influence, voters must make informed choices. The At-Large City Council seats represent a chance to change Lorain’s course — but only if voters look beyond familiar names and examine records with clear eyes.
This investigative report examines all six candidates. But two stand out for the wrong reasons: Tony Dimacchia and Mary Springowski. Their records are marred by scandals, ethical lapses, and self-serving decisions. Lorain cannot afford more of the same.
Historically, Lorain’s Council has been plagued by infighting, scandal, and inertia. Past incidents involving council members have contributed to public distrust. In this election, Lorain cannot afford to send the wrong people back to City Hall.
This investigation examines all six candidates in the 2025 At-Large race. We focus on verifiable records: their votes, public statements, arrests, apologies, achievements, and failures. No speculation, no assumptions — only facts.
Tony Dimacchia: Power, Privilege, and a Record of Disregard for Accountability
Tony Dimacchia’s political career is defined less by leadership and more by personal misconduct, questionable decisions, and a persistent sense of entitlement to public office. Public court documents confirm that Dimacchia’s troubling record stretches back nearly two decades. In 2005, he was convicted of Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated (OVI) in Avon Lake. Six years later, in 2011, he was charged with refusing a breathalyzer and mishandling a vehicle while impaired, ultimately pleading no contest to reduced charges. In April 2024, Dimacchia once again pleaded no contest to an OVI charge, this time in Lorain Municipal Court.
“Repeated endangerment of public safety raises serious questions about his judgment, personal responsibility, and respect for the law.”
Despite this history, Dimacchia aggressively sought to consolidate his political power. He repeatedly pushed legislation to extend Lorain City Council terms from two years to four years, a move that critics decried as a self-serving power grab designed to entrench incumbents. Lorain voters decisively rejected this proposal multiple times.
While Dimacchia publicly claims to have prioritized economic development and public safety, a thorough examination of council records between 2019 and 2024 reveals no significant legislative leadership or major revitalization initiatives directly attributed to him. Lorain’s continued struggles with infrastructure, public services, and financial instability during this period stand in sharp contrast to his campaign narratives.
Dimacchia’s leadership style also brought dysfunction into City Hall. In 2023, he publicly clashed with Finance Director Karen Shawver over budget figures, but failed to offer coherent alternatives to the city’s financial challenges. Shawver resigned in early 2024, deepening the leadership vacuum in Lorain’s government.
Dimacchia’s priorities often appeared misaligned with the needs of his constituents. In late 2023, he voted in favor of administrative pay raises for elected officials set to take effect after the next election cycle, even as residents demanded better road repairs, stronger policing, and improved municipal services.
“Dimacchia’s career reflects consistent disregard for transparency, personal responsibility, and ethical leadership.”
Although the Chronicle-Telegram endorsed Dimacchia for Lorain County Commissioner in 2024, calling him a “decent public servant,” one editorial endorsement does not erase a record marked by criminal conduct, questionable votes, and political opportunism. It is also worth noting that his strong performance in the 2023 Democratic primary and general election was likely fueled more by name recognition and longstanding establishment support than by any fresh vision for Lorain’s future.
Dimacchia remains a deeply polarizing figure. His repeated personal failings, coupled with an undistinguished legislative record, invite serious scrutiny. Lorain voters must decide whether the city can afford another term dominated by political inertia and misplaced priorities.
Mary Springowski: Scandals, Self-Interest, and the Politics of Division
Mary Springowski’s political career has been consistently marred by controversy, questionable judgment, and a combative style that has alienated both colleagues and constituents. Despite years in Lorain politics, her list of substantive accomplishments remains thin, overshadowed by personal disputes and problematic decisions.
In the 2023 Democratic primary for Mayor of Lorain, Springowski finished a distant second, garnering only 1,163 votes compared to incumbent Jack Bradley’s 2,716. The result highlighted a fundamental weakness in her citywide appeal, as voters overwhelmingly rejected her bid for executive leadership.
As an At-Large Councilmember, Springowski’s legislative record between 2023 and 2025 was largely limited to procedural changes and symbolic gestures. While she deserves credit for supporting legislation to allow public comments at council meetings, her broader performance reflected a focus on drama rather than delivery. Major initiatives addressing infrastructure, crime, or economic revitalization were noticeably absent from her record.
One of Springowski’s most controversial moments came during debates over Lorain’s longstanding utility billing issues. In 2017, she voted in favor of a significant utilities rate increase, citing compliance with unfunded EPA mandates. However, that rate hike later became the center of widespread resident outrage over inflated bills and alleged overcharges.
The controversy deepened in 2023 when Springowski voted “Aye” to retroactively ratify a previously unauthorized contract with the law firm Wickens, Herzer, Panza. The firm had been hired without Council approval in 2020 to defend the city—and Council members, including Springowski herself—against citizen lawsuits arising from the utility overcharge scandal. Clerk of Council Breanna Dull confirmed that no original ordinance had ever been passed authorizing the firm’s employment. Springowski’s vote effectively retroactively approved over $110,000 in taxpayer-funded legal expenses to cover actions she had participated in.
“Springowski’s vote effectively legalized over $110,000 in unauthorized taxpayer-funded legal expenses, raising serious concerns about transparency and fiscal responsibility.”
In response, Lorain resident and activist Garon Petty filed a formal taxpayer demand with the city’s Law Director, alleging unlawful expenditure of public funds and demanding corrective action under Ohio law.
Springowski’s public demeanor also became a source of concern among colleagues. In 2022, fellow Councilmember Victoria Kempton filed a formal complaint alleging that Springowski interrupted meetings, disabled colleagues’ microphones, and made racially insensitive comments during council debates. Although the complaint was received, no formal investigation or resolution occurred, leaving the allegations unresolved but politically damaging.
Her disregard for public engagement norms also landed her in federal court. In 2022, Springowski was named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by Garon Petty, alleging that Lorain council members violated his First Amendment rights by blocking him from official Facebook discussion forums. Although the lawsuit was ultimately voluntarily dismissed, it underscored growing concerns about Springowski’s attitude toward dissent and citizen participation.
Controversy has been a recurring theme throughout Springowski’s career. In 2019, she sought to be appointed interim Mayor following a vacancy but was ruled ineligible under Ohio’s “sore loser law” after losing a prior primary. Rather than accept the decision gracefully, Springowski publicly denounced the law as “codified voter suppression,” drawing criticism even from within her own party.
Springowski’s fiscal stances have also proven divisive. In 2024, she opposed proposals to remove property tax assessments from blighted properties, arguing that absentee landlords should remain financially liable. While some viewed this position as fiscally responsible, others saw it as punitive toward efforts at property rehabilitation and neighborhood stabilization.
“Mary Springowski’s record shows a politician more interested in drama than delivery, personal grievance than public good.”
Ultimately, Springowski’s tenure on City Council offers Lorain voters little in the way of forward momentum and much in the way of controversy, polarization, and self-serving politics. Her track record raises serious doubts about her fitness for continued public service at a time when Lorain demands focus, unity, and real solutions.
Dennis Flores: A Fighter Forged by Adversity
Dennis Flores’s career in Lorain politics has been anything but conventional. Unlike many entrenched figures, Flores has built his political identity around resilience, accountability, and a willingness to challenge the status quo—even at personal cost.
Flores’s story includes acknowledging and overcoming past mistakes. In 2013, he was arrested for Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated (OVI) following a minor accident. He pleaded no contest and entered a period of public accountability, expressing regret for his actions. His critics often cite this moment, but few acknowledge his efforts to rebuild trust and maintain transparency about his past.
“I made a mistake, and I owned it. That’s what public servants are supposed to do,” Flores said during a 2017 council debate.
A more serious controversy erupted in 2018 when Flores posted an insensitive comment on Facebook following a local shooting incident. The post, viewed by many as racially charged, sparked outrage. Flores promptly issued a public apology, both online and during a council session, admitting that his words were wrong and caused pain he did not intend.
While these incidents marred his public image, Flores’s political career has been largely defined by courage in the face of an entrenched political establishment. As a Ward 2 Councilman from 2015 to 2019, Flores consistently fought for neighborhood stabilization, public safety improvements, and greater fiscal oversight. He championed infrastructure repairs at a time when much of Lorain’s east side struggled with decay.
More controversially, Flores became one of the earliest public officials to raise concerns about discriminatory policing practices and questionable financial management within Lorain city government. He criticized opaque bidding processes and challenged selective enforcement strategies that disproportionately affected minority neighborhoods.
Flores’s activism often made him a target. Between 2020 and 2021, Flores faced what many allies described as retaliatory scrutiny from figures aligned with Police Chief James McCann. Subpoenaed emails and administrative documents from city investigations suggest possible politically motivated efforts to discredit him.
“Dennis Flores stood up for transparency when it was neither popular nor safe to do so. That’s a rare kind of leadership,” said one former council colleague who requested anonymity.
In 2020, after completing his term, Flores continued to speak out against what he saw as systemic failures at City Hall. His outspokenness sometimes cost him politically, but it won him admiration from reform-minded citizens frustrated by Lorain’s persistent dysfunction.
Flores’s public service is not without its flaws. But unlike his opponents, Flores has demonstrated a consistent willingness to own his mistakes, apologize without equivocation, and continue fighting for residents left behind by decades of poor leadership.
In a city desperate for genuine reformers, Dennis Flores stands out not because he is perfect, but because he remains fiercely committed to doing better—for Lorain, and for the people who call it home.
Mitchell Fallis: Financial Stewardship and Steady Leadership
In a field too often defined by chaos and controversy, Mitchell Fallis offers Lorain a markedly different model of public service. With a career rooted in fiscal responsibility, Fallis’s record stands out for its stability, professionalism, and quiet competence.
Fallis previously served as an At-Large member of Lorain City Council from 2008 to 2011 and again from 2016 to 2021. During his tenure, Fallis became widely respected for his steady leadership, particularly in financial matters. He played a significant role in advocating for Lorain’s Rainy Day Fund, supporting the creation of reserves that later helped the city weather fiscal uncertainty. Although the precise legislative authorship of the Rainy Day Fund ordinance remains disputed, Fallis’s consistent calls for long-term savings earned praise from auditors and city officials alike.
While some candidates boast about flashy projects, Fallis’s contributions are more tangible and enduring. Throughout his time on Council, he focused on securing state and federal grants for infrastructure improvements, including sewer upgrades and street repairs. His advocacy for leveraging Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) funding helped bring critical investment into Lorain’s aging public works systems.
“We have to invest in the city’s bones—its roads, its pipes, its foundation—before we can talk about anything else,” Fallis said during a 2017 finance committee meeting.
After concluding his service on Council, Fallis continued his commitment to public service by joining the Lorain Board of Education, where he served from 2012 to 2015. His financial expertise proved invaluable during a period of difficult budget cuts and administrative restructuring within the struggling school district.
Professionally, Fallis brings a deep background in finance to the table. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a seasoned Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in the private sector, skills that are especially critical given Lorain’s lingering fiscal vulnerabilities.
Importantly, Fallis’s public record remains clean. There are no criminal charges, no ethics complaints, no scandals, and no controversies associated with his name. In an environment where many Lorain politicians have struggled with personal or professional misconduct, Fallis’s integrity stands out.
His leadership style is often described as calm, collaborative, and results-oriented. Supporters point to Fallis’s consistent focus on financial solvency and infrastructure repair as proof that he prioritizes the city’s fundamental needs over political theater.
Fallis’s 2025 platform focuses on pragmatic goals: restoring fiscal stability, repairing critical infrastructure, and fostering a professional city government culture based on accountability rather than showmanship.
In a race dominated by personalities and personal scandals, Mitchell Fallis presents voters with a much-needed choice: a proven, principled leader who knows that getting Lorain back on track starts with getting the city’s finances in order.
Sylvia DuVall: Quiet Strength and Steadfast Commitment
Sylvia DuVall’s entrance into Lorain politics was not born from political ambition but from decades of dedication to education and public service. After serving more than 50 years with Lorain City Schools as a teacher and administrator, DuVall turned her attention to broader community issues, bringing with her a strong foundation of compassion, diligence, and steady leadership.
Since her election as an At-Large Councilmember, DuVall has quietly but effectively focused on core issues often overlooked in political theater: maintaining fiscal stability, ensuring city services remain operational, and advocating for youth-oriented programming through the Parks and Recreation Committee.
Unlike many politicians who chase headlines, DuVall has built a reputation for careful stewardship of taxpayer dollars. She has consistently supported balanced budgets without compromising essential services. Her votes on fiscal matters have reflected a commitment to caution and sustainability rather than flashy projects or political posturing.
“We have an obligation to the next generation to leave the city better than we found it,” DuVall said during a 2024 council meeting on budget priorities.
DuVall’s work extends beyond budgeting. She has been a strong advocate for park improvements, community clean-up efforts, and brownfield site rehabilitation—all critical components in rebuilding Lorain’s livability and economic prospects.
Supporters praise DuVall’s attentiveness and respect for constituent concerns. She is often described as one of the few councilmembers who listens carefully during public comment periods and follows up with action when possible. In a political climate increasingly dominated by division, DuVall’s respectful, service-centered approach stands out.
Importantly, DuVall’s public record is clean. There are no lawsuits, ethics complaints, or public scandals associated with her time on Council. Her career reflects integrity and a focus on getting the basics right.
Critics sometimes argue that DuVall is overly cautious, favoring incremental change rather than bold reforms. Yet many residents view this caution as a strength, particularly after years of instability and turmoil in Lorain government.
DuVall’s 2025 priorities remain grounded in core municipal responsibilities: maintaining fiscal discipline, supporting safe neighborhoods, investing in youth programs, and strengthening the city’s aging infrastructure.
In an era when voters often must choose between candidates embroiled in controversy or personal ambition, Sylvia DuVall represents something increasingly rare: a quiet, diligent public servant working to rebuild trust, one step at a time.
Jacob Reed: A New Voice with Fresh Energy
Among the 2025 field of Lorain City Council At-Large candidates, Jacob Reed represents something the city has not seen in years: a true political newcomer untethered to old grudges or entrenched alliances. Reed’s campaign is built around themes of renewal, transparency, and a desire to bring practical solutions to long-standing problems.
Reed’s political resume is admittedly thin. With no prior experience in elected office, he is relying instead on his energy, fresh perspective, and a message that resonates with many residents frustrated by the familiar faces and failures of the past. His campaign platform emphasizes bread-and-butter issues: repairing infrastructure, confronting the opioid crisis, creating sustainable jobs, and restoring trust in local government.
“Lorain needs new ideas and new energy,” Reed said during a March 2025 candidate forum. “We can’t keep doing the same thing and expecting different results.”
Reed has been open about the challenges he faces as a political newcomer. Without a long track record in public office, voters are asked to take a leap of faith based on his proposals, his energy, and his commitment. Yet many residents view that very lack of establishment entanglement as a strength, not a liability.
Supporters argue that Reed’s background—growing up in Lorain and working in industries impacted by the city’s economic transitions—gives him a practical, grounded understanding of the challenges working families face.
Critics point to his inexperience, questioning whether Reed will be able to navigate the often complex and politically charged environment of city government. But at a time when many voters are disillusioned with seasoned politicians who deliver little more than excuses, Reed’s candidacy offers an appealing alternative.
Importantly, there are no known controversies, lawsuits, scandals, or ethical concerns associated with Jacob Reed. In a political environment where negative baggage often dominates headlines, this clean record is a refreshing change.
Reed’s focus on transparency and communication has been a central feature of his campaign. He has pledged to hold regular town halls, increase responsiveness to constituent concerns, and push for broader public engagement in council decision-making.
While questions about his ability to implement change remain, Jacob Reed embodies an opportunity for Lorain voters to embrace a new generation of leadership—one less beholden to the past, and more focused on building a future that works for everyone.
“This city deserves leaders who listen, not lecture,” Reed stated at the same March forum. “I’m here to listen, to work, and to be accountable.”
In a city desperate for renewal, Jacob Reed represents a step toward new possibilities.
Final Thoughts: Choosing a New Path for Lorain
As Lorain prepares to elect three At-Large City Council members in 2025, the stakes could not be higher. The city stands at a crossroads between repeating the dysfunction and self-interest of the past—or embracing new leadership that prioritizes integrity, accountability, and genuine public service.
Tony Dimacchia’s record of repeated criminal offenses, self-serving political maneuvering, and divisive behavior signals a clear warning: a vote for Dimacchia is a vote for more of the same entrenched dysfunction that has held Lorain back for decades. Mary Springowski’s career similarly reflects controversy, poor judgment, and an inability to move beyond personal grievance politics. Lorain deserves better.
In contrast, Dennis Flores brings a history of resilience, honesty, and a willingness to stand up against powerful interests, even at personal cost. Mitchell Fallis offers proven financial stewardship, a calm leadership style, and a clean public record, making him a stabilizing force desperately needed in Lorain’s government. Sylvia DuVall provides steady, respectful service focused on fiscal responsibility, community investment, and quiet but effective leadership. Jacob Reed represents a fresh face with real potential—new energy, new ideas, and no ties to past political failures.
“The time for excuses is over. Lorain needs leaders who deliver results, not just soundbites.”
Based on the facts, this publication proudly recommends Dennis Flores, Mitchell Fallis, and Sylvia DuVall as the best choices for Lorain’s 2025 Council-At-Large seats. These candidates embody the professionalism, experience, and ethical standards Lorain so badly needs. Jacob Reed, while newer to the political process, also offers an exciting opportunity for fresh energy and should not be overlooked.
The future of Lorain hinges on breaking free from those who have failed it. With the right choices, voters can finally chart a path toward renewal, accountability, and prosperity.
Lorain deserves better. In 2025, we have the chance to demand it.
Legal Disclaimer
This article represents the opinion of the author based on publicly available records, public meeting minutes, court documents, official statements, and verifiable news sources. All facts cited are accurate to the best of the author’s knowledge as of the publication date. Where subjective opinions are expressed, they are clearly identified as commentary. Readers are encouraged to verify all public information independently. No candidate or campaign committee sponsored, endorsed, or contributed to the creation of this report.
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