Candidates appearing on the ballot in the Tecumseh Local School district were invited to participate in a Meet the Candidates Night at the high school on Monday evening.  The three hour event allowed candidates seeking offices on the New Carlisle City Council, Bethel Township Board of Trustees and the Tecumseh Local Board of Education to introduce themselves to voters and accept questions from the audience.

City council incumbents Ethan Reynolds, Bill McIntire and Mike Lowrey were joined at the table by William Lindsey and Bob Alexander.  Due to short notice of the event by organizers, Darrel Bauer was unable to attend.

Candidate Lindsey spoke about the “need to be better stewards of the people’s money” in his remarks.  Questions concerning the recent inability of the city to meet its budget were center stage at the meeting.  Incumbent McIntire noted that it had been a difficult four years for the city during his term in office.  He explained that the council needed to work as a team to make the budget cut decisions.

New Carlisle resident Dale Grimm asked those seeking seats on council how they would protect the city from ever going into a budget situation that would require “financial oversight” by the State of Ohio.  Incumbent Mike Lowrey focused most of his comments regarding the slightly over $100 budget surplus faced by the city this year on the former city manager and her ability to communicate with council.  

Both Reynolds and McIntire noted the need for a budget committee to be formed for the city which would include members of the community.  Bob Alexander noted in his remarks that the treasurer of any organization is key to budget management.

New Carlisle Mayor Lowell McGlothlin asked the incumbents what the “yearly budget” was for the city.  McIntire admitted that he did not know while Reynolds ventured a guess and Lowrey sat in silence.  The mayor explained that the budget is in the $6 million range.

The financial loss to the city from the pool was also questioned during the session for council.  Lowery has dedicated himself to preserving the pool for the community acknowledging that it lost $40,000 last year and at least $10,000 this year.  In remarks, Ethan Reynolds suggested that the citizens could decide by placing a small levy on the ballot to see what kind of financial support would be generated to keep the pool which is in need of repairs.  Lowrey noted in his remarks that the city “provides parks at a loss” and he continues to support keeping the pool in the future.

In discussion about increasing business investment for the city, Reynolds suggested that he would like to see the city work with Jobs Ohio to obtain a ranking that would help in growing small business in the city.

Incumbent David Phares attended the Bethel Township Trustee portion along with challenger Doug Frank.  Nancy Marine did not attend the event.

Mr. Frank stated that he would like to gather the “opinion of the people at meetings” as one of his campaign promises.  He noted that he would like to see more economic development in the township to “fill the empty buildings”.  Frank is the Chief of Police for Donnelsville and noted that he would like to see the township funding new equipment for the fire department in Bethel Township.

In his response, incumbent Phares spoke about the current levels of staffing for the fire department with 24 part time fire professionals.  He noted that both the Donnelsville and Medway stations are fully staffed around the clock.  In his comments Phares noted that the township will be paying off the debt on the fire station this coming year and then funding will be diverted to replacing one of the medic units in 2016.  

Phares also spoke about the $134,000 in tax dollars to support the single deputy for the township.  He explained that the township pays $85,000 for one full time deputy and uses the remaining funds for part time deputies to “fill the gaps”.  

Doug Frank suggested that if elected, he would like to see the township adding more personnel to the road department in the way of a supervisor.

Only one candidate for the Clark County Educational Service Center Board attended the panel discussion.  Stan Wenclewicz hopes to be elected to one of the two seats which appear on the ballot.  He explained his vision is to be a “grass roots leadership voice” for the county in hopes of returning local control of the schools.  

Wenclewicz is a retired educator who believes that “silence” from the local school districts is perceived as acceptance at the state level.  When asked about Common Core, he explained that he does believe that it is “a start” because it allows for a basis for learning at the grade level across the state and in turn across the nation.

The majority of the evening was dedicated to the five residents hoping to be elected to the Tecumseh Local Board of Education next Tuesday.  Incumbents Peter Scarff and Gary Cochran both believe that their experience on the board will secure the votes needed to continue to serve.  Scarff has been on the board for 8 years and noted that the district is “ready to move on from the warts of the past”.  His desire is to see the district continue to improve in the area of test scores.

Cochran took a different approach as an incumbent simply asking voters to “vote for your two favorites”.  In remarks concerning the cuts made while he was serving on the school board during the recent financial hardships faced by the district, Cochran noted that some things cut at that time may not be the same things that need to be returned when money is available.

Both Cochran and Scarff noted in their comments during the evening that 85% of the district budget is spent on salaries and benefits.  

Challenger Corinne Scott stated that she believes that her work history supports her desire to hold a seat on the board.  She noted her experience in budget management and would like to “see the school grow”.  During the open discussion, Scott suggested that the role of a board member is to be a liaison with the community responsible for getting the word out.

Also hoping to unseat one of the incumbents is Brett Collins.  Collins explained that he would like to “create a different atmosphere” for the district by getting people back involved with the district.  He sees his role as a board member to be the one to watch over the administration and to make efforts to keep the community connected.  Collins also sees his experience with the negotiation process as a plus if elected.

Some of the questions during the public address were quieted by the moderator for challenger Kevin Becker.  Mr. Becker self disclosed details of his accident which occurred in the community.  Becker noted that he was unsuccessful in a previous bid for a seat on the board, but noted that he learned a great deal by meeting his neighbors during his campaign.

Becker would like to see the district have “fiscal responsibility” and working to improve communication with area residents.  He believes that he is running to “be the connection between my neighbors and the district”.

All three challengers when asked about how they viewed the responsibility of the board regarding the development of the district budget appeared to believe that they could be involved with the distribution and decision making of how to allocate assets.  

Incumbents Scarff and Cochran repeatedly explained that the board when called upon does in fact vote to add or remove programs as the treasurer and administration presents the budget to them.  In the case of adding new programs or purchasing new classroom materials, the incumbents noted that it would take additional funding for the district to hire more math and science teachers for example.

All of the candidates had a similar thread running through their comments.  Improved communication with the community in an effort to bring the district together moving forward.