Council candidates share their thoughts

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Voters throughout the City of Van Wert have decisions to make at the polls.

That’s because five people are running for three Van Wert City Council at-large seats, including two incumbents and three challengers. The names on the ballot are current council members Judy Bowers and Jana Ringwald and the challengers are Hall Block, Dewaine Johnson and Kirby Kelly. Incumbent At-Large Councilman Jeff Kallas chose not to seek re-election to council.

All five of the candidates gathered Wednesday night for “Meet the Candidates Night” at the First Federal Lecture Hall at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center. The event was sponsored by the Van Wert Chamber of Commerce. Each of the candidates had five minutes to introduce themselves and explain why they chose to run for office.

Judy Bowers

Judy Bowers is seeking her third term on Van Wert City Council and she told those in attendance that when she first ran for council, she did so reluctantly.

“Through the coaxing of my family and friends and my church, I decided to run the first time and it’s been a real learning experience for me,” she stated.

Bowers described herself as “old school” and said she’d rather speak to people in person.

“I can learn more by personally talking to them, seeing their expression, their body langauge and knowing where they’re coming from rather than looking at something on Facebook or something like that, because you can misunderstand things that are said there,” Bowers said. “I do a lot of talking to people at the grocery store, at the bank or wherever I happen to be.”

Bowers also stated she does a lot of research and admitted it can be slow at times and she added she tries to vote for the people of Van Wert.

“If the people of Van Wert have voted no on an issue on the ballot, I vote with the majority of the citizens of Van Wert because that’s where I think my job is – to support what they want rather than what somebody else might want,” she stated.

Jana Ringwald

Jana Ringwald is seeking her second term as a member of Van Wert City Council.

“It’s been interesting and I’ve enjoyed it and chose to re-run,” she said.

She cited her 40 years at Central Insurance and leadership roles she held, along with other leadership roles within the community, including a church council role and serving a board member of a local non-profit organization. She also described herself as someone who wants to be part of the community and wants to better the community.

“In this role, we can certainly do that and as a city council member we have influence over the legislation that comes up, the discussions that come up, whether it’s economic development, parks and recreation, how the city budget will be formulated and spent,” Ringwald stated.

Ringwald said one of her priorities is the health of the city and how to finance projects that could be beneficial to the health and recreation of its residents, especially its aging population. She also mentioned a pool and finding ways to finance and maintain it. She talked about the importance of bringing youth back to the community and economic development and cited the incoming data center as an example.

“When you get a large employer, 250 employees coming into Van Wert, what will that do?” she asked. “That kind of creates the flywheel moving a little bit faster and then it picks up momentum so where does that take us – perhaps the need for more restaurants, the need for greater healthcare facilities, perhaps the need for larger schools. These are very exciting times and I think myself and all the other candidates are excited about that.”

Hall Block

Hall Block works as a civil engineer and previously served as executive director of Van Wert Forward for several months in 2023. He said he enjoys “boots on the ground” and talking to people about how to make their neighborhood better.

“I enjoy taking the good things we have here and helping make them even better,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been doing in small towns and communities throughout Ohio and Indiana for the last 10 years.”

Block noted he’s been working with the city frequently throughout his time in Van Wert and has enjoyed going to council and working with council members and the administration through Van Wert Forward, adopting plans and setting goals.

“I’m very comfortable working with city council and I’ve even gone before them personally several times to talk about things that I felt nobody else was going to advocate for – it’s what I love to do,” Block said. “I also know there are some things we can do better. I’ve had the chance to get out and talk to a lot of people, knock on doors and hear directly from people.”

He said a common concern he’s heard is a lack of trust with government and he said he feels a lack of trust often comes from a lack of communication. He said he believes the city needs better channels of communication and added he feels the city should be on Facebook.

He also mentioned transparency and accountability.

“I feel like people need that in order to feel comfortable with how we’re using your taxes,” he stated. “I feel like taxes should be earned and should be earned through good financial reporting and providing quality services.”

Block added future expenses are a concern, especially with projects like the Bonnewitz Ave. extension and sewer and water work and he suggested the city put together a comprehensive plan to see what the city will look like in 20-30 years.

“In Indiana, every city and town is required to have a comprehensive plan, but the city of Van Wert hasn’t had one since the 1950s,” he said.

Block said it’s important that council works together to bring real solutions to people who need them.

Dewaine Johnson

Like Ringwald, Dewaine Johnson was a longtime employee of Central Insurance and retired after 43 years. This is his first attempt at public office.

“As a newcomer to local government I bring fresh energy, a deep commitment to our community and a strong desire to serve every neighborhood in Van Wert,” he said to those in attendance. “I’m a lifelong learner – I believe in serving the needs of all parties and finding common ground to bring people together.”

While this is Johnson’s first run at public office, he was appointed to the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals in 2023, which he said has given him valuable insight into the needs of neighborhoods and the importance of fair and informed decision making. He also cited his work as a volunteer and deacon at his church and as a member of the Van Wert Area Concert Band.

“As a lifelong resident of Van Wert I care deeply about our city and its future,” he said. “My life has been shaped by a strong commitment to leadership, service and community, values that have guided me through decades of professionalism and personal achievement. I bring a thoughtful and detailed approach to problem solving.”

Kirby Kelly

Kirby Kelly previously served two terms on city council and after some time away, is looking to rejoin the city’s governing body.

He said the job of a council member isn’t to be hands-on, but to look at the problem or situation and guide and work with the administration and come up with a solution that is fair and equitable.

“Sometimes the decisions aren’t pleasant,” he said. “You have to take into consideration the law and the finances and I’m not going to waver from that, that my job is to be the cheerleader. We have situations in this town that need to be addressed. I can take you to the code of ordinances and show you things that are outdated.”

He also said there’s a lot of concern in the community about the data center and stated he took the time to call an official from New Albany and had what he termed a good conversation about data centers and what to expect. He said the biggest concerns are water and income through taxes from a data center. He explained that New Albany established a community development authority that applies solely to the data center there and said he would like to explore that option locally to get some income from the pending data center.

“If this is a $1 billion operation, that is a chunk of change that could really go toward some of our community development,” he said. “It’s just an idea I’d like to explore…I don’t know how people would feel about it – it would be a tax but it wouldn’t be a tax on the citizens, it would be on a $1 billion operation.”

Johanna Quarles, who is running unopposed for city treasurer and Third Ward Councilwoman Julie Moore, who is running unopposed, also offered brief remarks. Representative Jim Hoops and former representative Craig Riedel also spoke to those in attendance. Both will appear on the May, 2026 primary ballot for Ohio Senate District 1.

Representatives from the Brumback Library, Council on Aging and Vantage Career Center spoke about their respective levies on the November 4 ballot. Stories about each of those levies will be published on the News page on Friday and Saturday.