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MINSTER - Two incumbent Minster Village Council members are being challenged in the Nov. 7 general election by a pair of residents making their first attempt at public office.
Nicole Clune and Tom Herkenhoff are seeking re-election to village council. Also appearing on the ballot are newcomers Josh Osterloh and Trey Steele. The top two vote-getters will each pick up a seat.
Clune, 52, is a professional engineer and owns a consulting business, Clune Consulting Services. The company specializes in environmental and transportation planning services. She has served on village council for 15 years.
Clune earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the Ohio State University. She and her husband, Vince, have three children and four grandchildren.
Asked what experienced she has that qualifies her to serve another term in office, Clune cited her work as a consultant on transportation projects.
"I have worked on transportation projects for municipalities throughout the state, so I believe this qualifies me to have a strong understanding of our road improvements," she said. "I am a business owner and I have a strong understanding of project and business management."
Clune said she firmly believes "the village should be run as a business" and stresses the importance of fiscal management.
"I have a deep love and appreciation for Minster and I feel that my background and perspective offer value to the village in making decisions," Clune said when asked why she is running for re-election.
"As head of the safety committee, one of my top purposes is keeping our fire and rescue response strong," she said, adding committee members speak regularly with safety services officials to ensure they have what they need to protect the community. Clune said voters have approved the safety levy twice.
Herkenhoff, 76, does part-time accounting work for Brinkman Service Center in Minster. He has served on village council for 28 years.
A Minster High School graduate, Herkenhoff has a bachelor's degree in business administration. He served four years in the U.S. Navy. Herkenhoff has four children and four grandchildren.
Asked what experience he has that qualifies him for another term in office, Herkenhoff pointed to the work accomplished by council members during his tenure.
"I think it's what we've proven during my 28 years on town council," he said "I have worked with the best - Rick Schwartz, Dale Schmitmeyer, Gene Burke, Don Harrod, John Stechschulte and mayor Dennis Kitzmiller. I have been fortunate to pick up a lot from them. We have great local people and great services."
Herkenhoff said he is seeking re-election "because I love the town and I love its residents."
"I have always worked for what is best for the town," he said. "I enjoyed the town when I was growing up and I'm still enjoying it. I feel we need to be fiscally responsible, and it's something I want to continue for the next four years."
In addressing various community improvements, Herkenhoff said it is important to carefully plan the projects.
"You have to make sure everyone is on the same page," he said. "You have to make sure the people who live in that area understand what you are doing and what it takes to get it done."
Osterloh, 40, is plant manager of Kard Welding, Minster. He has been involved in the family business since he was a teenager. He and his wife, Amanda, have two daughters.
Osterloh is a Minster High School graduate. He completed one year in electrical engineering at Edison State College before returning to the family business.
Making his first bid for public office, Osterloh said his experience in running a family business qualifies him to serve on village council.
"I've been running the family business for the last 15 years, managing contracts and purchase orders and managing employees every day," he said, adding he deals with public contracts and safety codes.
Osterloh said he is running for village council to introduce new ideas.
"Some of the people have run unopposed for a number of years," he said. "I want to get out new ideas, bring in new businesses and hopefully to get the younger generation involved. I'm very passionate about the village of Minster and that's why I want to do this."
Osterloh said if he is elected, he would like to address the local housing situation.
"The housing, there is such a shortage of it," he said. "For businesses, it's hard to get someone to come to work here. Let's say you come from Dayton or Lima, it's hard to relocate because there is no housing. Obviously, there has to be some kind of solution to attract businesses and get people to move to Minster."
Steele, 40, is the director of sales for Fry Steel, a company based in Orange County, California. He and his wife, Jandie, have three children.
Steele, a Minster High School graduate, earned a bachelor's degree in professional sales from the University of Toledo. He is making his first bid for public office
Asked what experience he has that qualifies him to serve on village council, Steele cited his varied leadership roles as assets.
"I have held leadership roles with various organizations where my sole purpose was to collect and harvest data and take that information to make fiscally responsible choices for an organization," he said.
Steele said he was asked by people in the community to run for village council based on his skill set, adding he possesses "a deep ingrained love for this community" and wants to give back to the village.
Steele said he and his wife have lived in big cities like New York, Philadelphia and Columbus, but knew they wanted to return to the area to raise their family.
"It was not a question of where we were going to live. Minster was at the apex of that list," he said.
Steele said he wants to help bring more business to Minster and to maintain fiscal responsibility. He emphasized "the importance of making sound decisions promptly so that it doesn't cost more down the road because of delay."
"As members of council I think it's our responsibility to ensure that we are good stewards to the community," he said.
Steele said residents who have concerns or grievances need to be heard.
"I might not be able to provide a solution, but you know you're being heard," he said.
