John Coyne emphasizes deer management, pedestrian safety and development at Medina candidates forum

John Coyne, candidate for mayor and president of the Medina City Council, used a candidates forum hosted by Medina TV and the Greater Medina Chamber of Commerce to outline priorities that he said would address public safety, infrastructure and economic development in the City of Medina.

Coyne highlighted public-safety concerns tied to the city’s deer population, saying the current bow-hunting program has been ineffective and advocating for “a comprehensive deer management plan” that would use multiple strategies — including deterrents, vegetation changes, law-enforcement involvement and, if needed, sharpshooters — to reduce vehicle collisions and property damage over time. “Last year, we only harvested 18 deer through that program,” he said, and he cited a recent year with “over 140 deer struck and killed by cars,” with this year estimated at “170 to 180” deer struck and killed.

Coyne said the city should consider a range of responses rather than relying on a single method. He recommended studying deer migration and feeding patterns, adding that the city could encourage plantings and other deterrents on private property and consider organizing a voluntary list of residents who would like harvested deer carcasses. “In order for this plan to work, we have to adopt all the strategies,” he said.

On pedestrian safety at Medina’s downtown square, Coyne pointed to an existing $600,000 grant approved by council to install bump-outs at the four corners of the square and said further steps may be needed. He proposed eliminating or reconfiguring curbside parking on parts of the square to expand sidewalks and improve sight lines for pedestrians, saying the trade-off of losing about “20 spaces or 30 spaces” is worthwhile if it prevents injuries or deaths.

Coyne also urged shifting the financial responsibility for sidewalk repair and maintenance from individual homeowners to the city. “It’s a governmental function for the sidewalks that the city should take over,” he said, proposing a program for residents to report hazardous sidewalks and for the city to manage repair and replacement.

On fiscal policy and economic development, Coyne described a long-standing fiscal approach he helped advance on council: a five-year budget plan that uses a “carry forward” concept so departments keep unspent funds for later projects. “Last year, we carried forward $13,400,000 citywide,” he said, calling the policy fiscally conservative. He argued that leveraging the square, the airport and the fairgrounds — and supporting new projects such as a proposed hotel — can draw visitors and businesses to the city but must be matched with safety improvements.

Regarding the Medina Municipal Airport, Coyne said expansion could yield regional benefits and called for more investigation into a previously mentioned estimate that runway expansion could take 20 years and cost $10 million. He suggested exploring industrial or other development on underused land around the airport and highlighted potential future uses tied to drone technology.

On housing, Coyne described “affordable” as housing that costs no more than 30% of gross income and said Medina’s limited stock constrains affordability. He cited a local manufactured-home park by Brookdale that he said is being expanded with about 90 additional pads as an existing source of lower-cost housing and encouraged partnering with townships and county programs to help residents rehabilitate older housing stock.

Coyne framed public safety as his top short-term measure and revenue growth as a long-term metric of success: he said Medina’s income-tax revenue increased from roughly $4.5 million when he joined council to about $21 million now and said he would judge a four-year term on continued revenue growth without raising residents’ tax rates.

The forum was moderated by Jared Frey, general manager of Medina TV and public information officer for the City of Medina; Jacqueline Rinkzmeier of the Greater Medina Chamber of Commerce opened the program. Coyne closed by asking for votes and urging listeners to seek more information through his campaign materials mentioned during the forum.