By By ANDY HAMILTON / Niles Daily Star
NILES – A new representative for Niles' fourth ward was elected Tuesday.
Tim Skalla defeated Don Webber by a vote count of 178 to 129 in a race for a Niles City Council seat.
"I look forward to trying to serve the people of the fourth ward," Skalla said.
Webber had only been a member of the council since April, when fellow fourth ward council member Bruce Williams appointed him. Webber replaced Scott Clark, owner of Clark's Service, who resigned his position in order to maintain a vehicle service contract with the Niles Police Department and avoid a conflict of interest.
Skalla also submitted a letter of intention to the city council in April.
"I already viewed the job as a service job. If people have a problem, they should try and get a hold of me. I'm not guaranteeing I can help them but I certainly will try," Skalla said.
"I believe that part of this job is being a sounding board for ideas and problems. Some you can help with and I'm assuming there's going to be some you cannot," he said.
Skalla, 54, was born and raised in Niles and has lived in the city's fourth ward for 39 years. He has been married to his wife Candace for 28 years and the couple has two children.
Skalla has been employed at French Paper Co. for more than six years.