By LANCE MIHM
lmihm@dailystandard.com
Auglaize County will see contested races for open trustee spots
in Jackson, Noble and St. Marys townships in the Nov. 4 election.
A spot for Salem Township clerk is also being contested.
Incumbent Bob Wilker will square off against Scott Snethkamp
for St. Marys Township Trustee.
Wilker, 46, 09451 County Road 66A, New Bremen, has four school-age
children with his wife, Jackilyn. He is completing his first
four-year term as a trustee. He is a farmer.
Snethkamp, 32, 5933 Washington Pike, lives near St. Marys with
his wife Jennifer. He has not served any elected positions.
He is a sales marketing representative for the medical industry.
Wilker said that improvements in the township over the last
four years have proven him to be an ideal candidate.
“The last four years were challenging and busy,”
Wilker said. “We have accomplished a lot of things. We
had the new addition to the fire department, we bought a new
dump truck and police cruiser, bought a new road mower for the
ditches, and we have fixed and maintained much of the 26 miles
of roadway in the township.”
Wilker said that maintaining the township’s own police
protection is among the issues he would stay focused on. Fixing
and maintaining township buildings and equipment and developing
the south side of the lake were also on his priority list.
“There are a lot of channels coming off of the lake with
all of the development, and I think these will be issues that
need addressed,” Wilker said.
Snethkamp said he would like to help the township move forward
economically.
“I just want to continue the past success of the township,”
Snethkamp said.
Snethkamp said he has talked with several past and present office
holders and feels he has grasped what it takes to be a good
trustee.
“I want to serve the community by being a representative
for all of the township residents, whether it be the unincorporated
and rural areas or within the city limits,” Snethkamp
said.
Snethkamp said his college background in business and manufacturing
has given him the tools for the position.
Vernon Seger, 47, 4936 Bensman Road, Minster, and Carl Albers,
54, 03299 Tri-Township Road, Minster, are squaring off for the
lone available position in Jackson Township.
Albers is married and has four children. He is employed at Crown
Equipment Corp., New Bremen. He is completing his second term
as the incumbent.
It is a little challenging at times, but I have enjoyed the
position,” Albers said. “I like serving the needs
of the people in the community.”
Albers said that if re-elected, his focuses would include some
possible zoning issues that may be coming up and to keep increasing
the already outstanding safety standards of the fire department.
Seger, 47, is married and has four children. He is self-employed
as a farmer, and also has a farm machinery mechanic business
and is a school bus driver.
“All of the trustees we currently have live in the west
side of the township,” Seger said. “Some of the
people on the east side felt they weren’t getting represented
very well. Some of them talked to me and I decided to run.”
Seger said he would like to help protect the agricultural area
and preserve farmland, as long as township residents expressed
an interest in doing so.
Greg Leffel and John Mueller are running for an open position
in Noble Township. Incumbent Steve Schamp, who is not seeking
reelection, is running unopposed for the township clerk position.
John Mueller, 58, 03947 Glynwood Road, St. Marys, is married
with three children, He is employed at Progress Tool,Minster,
and is also a farmer.
Mueller previously served as a township trustee between 1984
and 1992.
“I just want to serve the community,” Mueller said.
Leffel, 42, 15627 Ohio 66, St. Marys, is married and has one
child. He is a farmer.
Leffel has served as the maintenance person for the township
for the past eight years and also previously had served on the
zoning board.
“I just thought this was the next logical step,”
Leffel said of running. “I feel I can be of help.”
Pat McMichael and Lori Yahl are both making attempts to hold
their first elected public office as clerk in Salem Township.
McMichael, 42, 05683 Ohio 197, Wapakoneta, is married and has
four children. She is employed as a radiology transcriptionist.
“I have an interest in the clerical field and what they
do,” McMichael said. “I’m familiar with the
trustees and it sounded like it was something that would be
interesting.”
McMichael felt that her 14 years of experience in the clerical
field made her a good candidate.
Lori Yahl, 01811 Salem-Noble Road, St. Marys, is married and
has two children. She is employed as a secretary at the United
Steelworkers Union Hall in St. Marys.
“I am presently on the zoning board and I just wanted
to try something different,” Yahl said. “I ran for
the office several years ago to get my name out there, and I
felt it was time to try again.”
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