Council races, VWCS levy on May ballot

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

In addition to Van Wert City Council president, there are two other primary races to be decided today.

The first of those is in Council’s Third Ward, where incumbent Stuart Jewett and challenger Jerry Mazur are seeking the Republican nomination.

Jewett, who is seeking his second term on City Council, is a lifelong resident of Van Wert and a local businessman who owns Be Scene Multimedia, a combination advertising agency, video production company, website development and photography business. In addition, he recently was hired as a bus driver for the Van Wert City Schools.

Jewett said he is very interested in serving the community in which he grew up.

“My wife, Barb, and I have lived in Van Wert our entire lives and have a passion for helping our community take the necessary steps to continue to move forward with growth and development,” Jewett noted. “You see us everywhere in Van Wert, as we seldom sit and do nothing. We are both extremely active in and around the community.”

A musician for more than three decades, as well as spending 30 years in the advertising and marketing field, Jewett is vice president of the Van Wert Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, is a member of the Van Wert County Economic Development Advisory Group and serves as Entertainment Committee chair for the Van Wert Ribfest.

He is a member of Lodge 218, Free and Accepted Masons; Elks Lodge 1197; Moose Lodge 1320; and American Legion Post 178, all in Van Wert. Jewett is also a member of First Presbyterian Church in Van Wert.

He has also been involved in assisting Vantage Career Center, including producing a 7-minute video that helped Vantage receive local funding for its recent facilities expansion project.

Jewett has two grown children of his own, Veronica and Casey, and two stepchildren, Andrea and Drew (Ashley).

Mazur touts his extensive business background working for Otis Elevator Company in a number of communities, as well as his work in developing successful air shows, including the former Festival of Flight held at the Van Wert County Regional Airport, and the first-ever Van Wert Hot Air Festival last year.

Mazur, who is retired, said he loves to volunteer within the Van Wert community. He is also a member of Elks Lodge 1197, Fraternal Order of Eagles Lodge 2106 and the Fort Myers, Fla., Kiwanis Club.

His educational background includes attending Broward (Fla.) Community College and the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He graduated from the Burlington County (N.J.) Police Academy.

Mazur said his main campaign issues include controlling city spending via a continuous improvement process, while looking at the services being provided by the various city departments.

Mazur and his wife, Sonia, have three children, 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

The other City Council primary race features four current and former Council members who are all seeking the Republican nomination for the three at-large Council seats. They include Stan Agler, Jon C. Tomlinson, Kirby Kelly and Brent Crone.

Longest serving of those is Agler, who has spent most of his life in public service in Van Wert. Agler was mayor of Van Wert from 1980-1991, and has served nine terms on City Council, the most recent as an at-large Councilman.

He also spent 16 years in industry sales and service and inventory control, was a life and health insurance agent for 12 years and spent six years as a realtor.

Agler also was elected vice president of the Mayors Association of Ohio while he served as mayor of the city.

He is also involved in a number of community organizations and is a former president of the Van Wert Rotary Club. He is a life member of the Van Wert County Historical Society.

Agler said primary campaign issues include promoting economic development and maintaining a good financial posture.

“I will continue to seek better methods to keep our citizens informed on local issues,” Agler said. “Our living standards and needs are being challenged from the top down: federal and state. I want to use my experience to deal with these problems.”

Tomlinson, a professor at the University of Northwest Ohio, served one term on City Council before deciding not run again in order to complete his doctorate. He was formerly director of patient and community relations at Van Wert County Hospital.

Tomlinson, 36, stresses his relative youth as an asset in local government, and also said he feels smaller government and cutting taxes is important.

“While it is important to build on the successes of past generations, it is time for a new generation of leaders to take the reins in Van Wert,” Tomlinson stated. “I hope to be one of those leaders.”

He is married and he and his wife, Diana, have two children, Taylor and Zachary.

Kelly is also a former Ward Councilman who is now seeking an at-large seat. He has had an extensive background in management, mostly in the retail industry, and says his business background would be an asset on City Council.

Kelly feels strongly about keeping city expenses in line.

“We need to start getting serious on the budget,” Kelly has said, noting that linking pay increases to inflation would be a good way to eliminate the current union-driven contract negotiations he feels are often automatic and cost more than the city can afford.

Kelly has also said he feels city employees should contribute more to their health care insurance costs, noting that the city currently pays more than two-thirds of the cost of city employees’ health care insurance.

“I don’t think the taxpayer should be subsidizing the fact that you have a family,” he has said.

The fourth candidate, Brent Crone, is a lifelong Van Wert resident who is retired from Greif Brothers, where he was also a union officer and negotiator.

Crone currently serves as an at-large Council member and has had previous stints on City Council, as well as Van Wert City Board of Education.

He has stressed his conservative leanings in the past and his emphasis on financial accountability.

The three at-large candidates will face off against another incumbent, At-Large Councilman Jeff Agler, a Democrat, in November.

Also on the ballot today are the Council president’s race between Ken Mengerink and Pete Weir, and Van Wert City Schools’ income tax renewal as a continuing levy (see our opinion on the Opinion Page).