Summit County Council appoints Joe Frazier, reappoints Vincent Novak to arts and parks advisory committee

The Summit County Council appointed Joe Frazier and reappointed Vincent Novak to two open seats on the Recreation, Arts and Parks Advisory Committee (the RAP cultural committee) on Aug. 13, with terms set to expire June 30, 2028.

The appointments came after brief interviews during the council meeting. Joe Frazier, who identified himself as the county historian and a long‑time Oakley resident, told the council he has nearly 18 years of county employment and nearly 11 years on the Oakley City Council. “I think this committee is a great way to promote that and a great opportunity to support those groups that are promoting the history and culture of our area,” Frazier said.

Vincent Novak, who is completing a prior term on the committee, described his volunteer work and process improvements for evaluating grant applications. Novak said he helped expand the committee’s scoring rubric from a five‑point to a seven‑point scale to better distinguish among high‑quality applicants. “When I joined the scale that they use to rate the quality and thoroughness of the applications was a five‑point scale. We came up with a seven point scale,” Novak said.

Councilmembers asked applicants about outreach to eastern Summit County groups and how the committee evaluates applications. Frazier said he follows past grant recipients and emphasized encouraging newer Eastern Summit community groups to apply. Novak said the committee chair has encouraged outreach and that many strong applicants are repeat applicants who consistently request more funds than are available.

Councilmember Megan moved to appoint Joe Frazier and reappoint Vincent Novak for terms expiring June 30, 2028; Roger seconded the motion. The council voted in favor and the motion carried.

The council indicated staff (Amy Jones or another staff member) will contact the appointees with the formal decision.