Expect new names in Nov. election

CELINA - New faces will appear on Celina City Council and the Celina school board next year as a handful of incumbents opted not to file for reelection.

The Nov. 7 general election in Mercer County will also feature contested township trustee, village council and other board of education races as well as numerous issues, pending the certification of petitions by elections officials.

Wednesday was the deadline for candidates to file petitions to run in nonpartisan races - such as township trustee and board of education - in the general election.

It was also the final day to submit local questions and issues for the general election. A whopping 16 tax levies, mostly renewals, were filed at the Mercer County Board of Elections.

Also, several partisan candidates who ran unopposed in the primary automatically advanced to the general election.

Candidate filings

Celina school board members Bill Sell, Deb Guingrich and Barbara Vorhees, whose terms expire at the end of the year, did not submit petitions to run in the general election.

Eleven candidates filed petitions to fill those seats - Amanda Bruce, Jon M. Clouse, John Contreras, Stacy Evers, Tim Homan, Andrea Kuehne, Ashleigh Lantz, Tiffany McKirnan, Jessica Rolfes, Adam Schleucher and Julia Sommer.

Celina City Council is poised for a shakeup as veteran Democrat member June Scott opted not to seek another term and erstwhile Republican Mike Sovinski is running as a no-party candidate in the general election.

The three Celina City Council at-large seats presently held by Scott, Sovinski and Eric Lochtefeld, a Democrat, are all in play. Lochtefeld filed to run as did Democrat Kyle Bruce and Republicans Matt Gray, Thomas R. Sanford and Joe Wolfe.

The three candidates who get the most votes in November will each win a seat.

Celina Municipal Court Judge Kathryn W. Speelman, Celina Mayor Jeff Hazel, Celina Law Director George Moore and Celina Auditor Brooke Shinn, all Republicans, will appear uncontested on the November ballot.

Elsewhere,

• In Burkettsville, no one filed for mayor or two village council seats that expire at the end of the year.

• In Chickasaw, mayor Ben Kramer filed to run again as did village councilors Shawn A. Birt and Nick Thobe. A total of three council seats will expire at the end of the year. No one filed for two open seats on the board of public affairs.

• In Coldwater, mayor Doug Bertke filed to run again. At-large village councilors Charmaine Bettinger and Tim L. Buschur also filed to run again.

School board members Terry Schroyer and Jack Waite filed to run again.

• In Fort Recovery, mayor Dave Kaup filed to run again. So, too, did village councilors Scott Pearson and Allen Post.

Five are running for three open school board seats, Chris Duhamel, Mitch Fullenkamp, Dee Grieshop, Greg LeFevre and incumbent Donald Wendel.

• Marion Local school board members Randy Bruns, Shannon M. Everman and Tim Pohlman filed to run again.

• In Mendon, mayor Terry T. Seibert filed to run again. Village councilors Bruce D. Rickard and Brian Webb and board of public affairs trustees Darrell L. Etgen and Jeff Snider all filed to run again.

• In Montezuma, no on filed for mayor or two council seats that expire at the end of the year.

• In Rockford, Chris Rasbach and Ron Searight, now serving as village council president, filed to run for mayor. Current mayor Amy S. Joseph recently announced she will not seek another term. Village councilors Mary Beougher and Luke Stephenson both filed to run again.

Five are running for two open seats on the Parkway school board, incumbent Tara Patterson, Mike Langenkamp, Amanda Peel, Bryan Schoenleben and Christopher Wood.

• In St. Henry, mayor Steven Koesters filed to run again. Village councilor Douglas J. Rinderle filed to run again for one of two open council seats.

School board members Brad Nerderman and Paul Moorman filed to run again.

• Mercer County Educational Service Center board members Melissa Hoying and Janet Bruns filed to run again.

• In Blackcreek Township, fiscal officer Curtis L. Hamrick and trustee Grant H. Minnich filed to run again.

• In Butler Township, fiscal officer Cory W. McKibben and trustee Fred Kahlig filed to run again.

• In Center Township, fiscal officer Ed Sites and Jerry Albers filed to run again.

• In Dublin Township, fiscal officer Susan Smalley filed to run again. Three filed for one open trustee seat, incumbent Dan Roebuck, Michael Patterson and Loren Schindeldecker.

• In Franklin Township, fiscal officer Lee Ann Dorsten and trustee Ronald Brookhart filed to run again.

• In Gibson Township, Wendy Rauh filed for fiscal officer. Mark Post filed to run again for trustee.

• In Granville Township, fiscal officer Nathan J. Schwieterman and trustee Ron Post filed to run again. Mike Steinlage filed to run for an open trustee seat.

• In Hopewell Township, fiscal officer Herbert Muhlenkamp and trustee Eldon Sell filed to run again.

• In Jefferson Township, fiscal officer Kimberly Bell filed to run again. Three filed for one open trustee seat, incumbent Nick Laux, Jodie L. Swaney and Chris Weitzel.

• In Liberty Township, fiscal officer Jill Thomas and trustee Ronald A. Linn filed to run again.

• In Marion Township, fiscal officer Bonnie L. Garrison filed to run again. Perry Unrast filed for an open trustee seat.

• In Recovery Township, Lisa Tobin filed for fiscal officer. Trustee Doug Kahlig filed to run again.

• In Union Township, fiscal officer Matt Grunden and trustee Matt Sites filed to run again. Two filed for an open trustee seat, incumbent Austin Harner and Brandon Uncapher.

• In Washington Township, two filed for fiscal officer, Samantha Menchhofer and Ryan Sutter. Seth Muhlenkamp filed for an open trustee seat.

Issues and questions

• Celina City Schools, a five-year, 1% earned-income tax renewal levy that would generate $4.37 million annually.

• Coldwater Public Library, a five-year, 0.5-mill operating renewal levy that would collect $78,000 annually, amounting to $14 for a home assessed at $100,000.

• Marion Local School District, an income tax, property tax and bond levy to finance a proposed $23.31 million building project. A 0.5% income tax on earned income would be imposed for 30 years.

At a community meeting it was reported the income tax would cost a household with the average taxable income of $98,409 an estimated additional $246 per year.

Bonds would be issued for $12.32 million and repaid over 30 years.

To repay the bond debt, a 5.3 mill property tax would be imposed, amounting annually to $186 for a home assessed at $100,000.

• Minster Local Schools, a five-year, 0.2-mill recreation replacement levy that would collect $37,000 annually, amounting to $7 for a home assessed at $100,000.

• Parkway Local Schools, a five-year, 1.5-mill permanent improvement renewal levy that would collect $236,000 annually, amounting to $53 for a home assessed at $100,000.

• Rockford, a five-year, 2.8-mill operating renewal levy that would collect $39,000 annually, amounting to $76 for a home assessed at $100,000.

• Fort Recovery, a five-year, 2.5-mill storm water control renewal levy that would collect $73,000 annually, amounting to $69 for a home assessed at $100,000.

• Mendon, a five-year, 2.5-mill operating renewal levy that would collect $15,000 annually, amounting to $74 for a home assessed at $100,000.

• St. Henry, an income tax increase that would raise the rate 0.5% to 1.5%.

• Mercer County Council on Aging, a five-year, 0.7-mill renewal levy to provide services to county seniors that would collect $710,000 annually, amounting to $20 for a home assessed at $100,000.

• Mercer County Board of Developmental Disabilities, a five-year, 0.5-mill operating and service-providing renewal levy that would collect $1.37 million annually, amounting to $36 for a home assessed at $100,000.

• Mercer County District Library, a five-year, 0.5-mill operating renewal levy that would collect $317,000 annually, amounting to $14 for a home assessed at $100,000.

• Unincorporated areas of Mercer County, question that would authorize the county to aggregate retail electric loads in unincorporated areas.  

• Southwest Fire District, a five-year, 1.9-mill fire protection renewal levy that would collect $237,000 annually, amounting to $50 for a home assessed at $100,000.

• Franklin Township, a five-year, 1.1-mill fire protection renewal levy that would collect $84,000 annually, amounting to $33 for a home assessed at $100,000.

• Jefferson Township, a five-year, 1.8-mill fire protection renewal levy that would collect $146,000 annually, amounting to $49 for a home assessed at $100,000.

• Blackcreek Township, a five-year, 1.25-mill fire protection renewal levy with an increase of .35 mills, that would collect $39,000 annually, amounting to $56 for a home assessed at $100,000.

• Washington Township, liquor option for sale of intoxicating liquors on Sunday.

Board of elections members will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday to certify the candidates and issues to the general election ballot, said director Deb Sneddon.