Races, issues on November election ballot

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A number of Van Wert County races and several tax issues — including two that could decide the future of the county agency that provides services to senior citizens — will be on the November general election ballot, according to information released Wednesday.

Van Wert city races include the contest between incumbent Law Director Greg Unterbrink, a Democrat, and Republican challenger John Hatcher. Four people are also running for three at-large seats on Van Wert City Council. They include Republicans Stan Agler, currently Council’s Fourth Ward representative, as well as former councilman Brent Crone and Paul Hamrick, and Democrat Jeff Agler.

In Ohio City, incumbent Mayor Dale Boroff is being challenged by Charles Rollins, while Kenneth Myers is running against incumbent Mayor Michael Wolfcale in Middle Point.

Four candidates — Mark Dickman, Jarret Hammons, Lisa Merkle and Scott Redding — are seeking two seats on Middle Point Village Council.

In Willshire, three people are seeking the village clerk-treasurer’s position. They include Jodi Berry, incumbent Karen Hunziker and Michelle Sheets.

School board races include Van Wert City Board of Education, where four candidates, two of them incumbents, are seeking three open seats on the board. Incumbents running include Board President Mike Morrow and Kenneth Mengerink, while Marylou Smith has decided not to seek re-election. Challengers include Benjamin Cowan and Jessica Weiss.

Crestview incumbents John Auld and Mike Schlagbaum, who was appointed to fill Thad Lichtensteiger’s seat on the board earlier this year, will face challenger Dave Thomas.

Lincolnview incumbents Ron Davis and Alan Morris are not seeking re-election, which opens the way for Kirk Berryman and Michelle Gorman to take their open seats in November.

Township races include a race between incumbent Coral Marbaugh and challenger Tracey Allenbaugh for Liberty Township fiscal officer. In Pleasant Township, Kelly Bartz and Paul Dixon are seeking the fiscal officer’s job.

Ridge Township will see a four-way race for just one trustee’s position between Roy Cooper, Josh Evans, William B. Evans II and Brian Leathers.

The only Tully Township contest is a three-way one between Richard Mollenkopf, Jerry Parrish Sr. and Jeff Wise for a trustee’s position.

The commissioners approved resolutions in July to place two replacement tax issues – an 0.2-mill levy and an 0.25-mill levy, on the November ballot. The levies would replace current tax issues of the same millage that are due to expire in the coming months.

The decision was made to replace the current levies, which bring in approximately $192,000 a year, so that more tax revenues could be generated to pay for rising costs and increased use of the Council on Aging facility and services, Executive Director Cindy Wood said.

Without the revenues from the levies, Wood told the commissioners, the agency would have to close its doors. “I’ve told people, ‘look, if these levies fail, we close,’” she has noted, adding that, unlike many people’s perception, the Council is not a county agency and receives no funding from the commissioners.

Wood has said the Council on Aging has done everything it can to cut costs since she became director three years ago. “Two months after I took this job, we started hacking away,” she has said, including cutting the staff from 12 people to seven.

A revenue increase is especially crucial with the Baby Boomer generation now becoming senior citizens.

Both of the original levies have been on the books for more than a decade. The 0.2-mill levy was first passed in November 1987, and has been renewed every five years since then, with a replacement levy approved in 2006. The 0.25-mill levy was first passed in November 1997 and has been renewed twice.

In addition to the Council on Aging’s countywide issue, there are three state issues on the ballot. They include Issue 1, which seeks to amend the Ohio Constitution to increase the maximum age to elect a judge from 70 to 75; Issue 2, which seeks to overturn Senate Bill 5, a controversial law that limits collective bargaining rights for state employee unions, among other things; and Issue 3, which seeks to reject the federal health care initiative in Ohio.

Three school districts have levies on the November ballot. Crestview Local School District seeks the renewal of two levies, the Delphos City Board of Education seeks to renew an operating levy, while Spencerville Local Schools seeks to renew a permanent improvement levy.

Several townships and villages also have operating or fire protection levies on the ballot, while Sunday liquor sales are on the ballot in Van Wert 3C and Pleasant East precincts.