Independence council candidates focus on aging infrastructure, Rockside redevelopment and sidewalks at public forum

Candidates for the Independence City Council used a student-moderated forum at Independence High School to lay out divergent priorities on infrastructure, downtown redevelopment and city budgeting.

Vice Mayor Anthony Tagliotti, several incumbent council members and a slate of challengers addressed a string of issues officials have flagged as urgent: a north-south Brecksville Road water main cited as nearly 100 years old, Rockside Road redevelopment and the future of the city’s center, sidewalks on Sprague Road, and whether some city programs or cosmetic projects should be delayed to pay for core infrastructure.

Tagliotti called the aging Brecksville Road water main the forum’s top priority, saying the line is roughly 99 years old and has broken repeatedly this year. He told the audience the council plans to replace the section from Rockside Road north toward the Cornerstone Of Hope and to pursue engineering work on remaining segments. “We have to make up the time and get it done to ensure the quality of life does not suffer for the residents of Independence,”…