ELECTION 2021: DGKN questionnaire for Sugar Creek Township board of trustees candidates
Jonathan Hofstetter
Political Party: Township trustee is nonpartisan, but I am registered as a Republican.
Office Sought: Sugar Creek Township Trustee
Age: 41
Address: 13129 Hackett Rd
Family: Wife (Laura), children (Jamie 13, Trisha 11, Maddy 11, Marlea 8 and Becca 6)
Occupation, qualifications: Firefighter/paramedic, I graduated from the Ohio Township Leadership Academy. I regularly attend the Ohio Township winter conference and take advantage of ongoing virtual classes.
Education: I graduated from the University of Northwestern Ohio with a diploma in Automotive
and Diesel repair.
Elected Office Experience: Almost 4 years as Township Trustee. I am the Vice President of the Wayne County Township association. Because of that position, I sit on the Wayne County Reutilization Corporation. I also have taken an interest in community planning. Recently I was able to join the Wayne County Planning Commission and broaden my knowledge.
Why are you running for this office? I want to continue to serve our area. The first four years have been a roller coaster ride, and I have enjoyed learning and working for Sugar Creek Township residents.
If elected, what is the key issue facing your community, and how would you address it?
The federal government, in response to COVID, has provided funds through different acts. In 2020 we took approx. $250,000 of CARES Act money and provided assistance to EWJFD, KVFD, along with our township garage. With the American Rescue Plan (ARP) passing, the township will be provided funds for specific items. The federal government has placed guidelines on how local governments can spend the funds. Our board will be challenged to find unique ways to responsibly use the funds. We all pay federal taxes, and we need to exhaust all ideas to spend the funds and keep our tax dollars in this area. If we don’t spend our ARP funds, another community may get the option to use those federal tax dollars.
If you are running for re-election, or you served in an elected position in the past, what do you feel were your main accomplishments as an elected official? Please list a few campaign promises you made in the past and how you fulfilled them. Was there something you didn’t accomplish that you hope to try again this time?
I am one of the trustees that helped resolve a lawsuit that drained our general fund. Then I followed the residents’ advice and helped form the two fire districts to fund the local fire departments. I helped place a renewal levy on the ballot to support our roads. Another accomplishment I had was obtaining a grant to help start repairing the township cemetery. I have been the contact person for many items over the last four years and continue to use my unique schedule to be available to the public.
When I ran for office in 2017, I also told people I would help the road department. There have been a few times where there was an emergency breakdown, and the machinery needed an immediate fix. I was able to fix the equipment and keep the machinery in use. We added a snowplow on the pickup truck to assist in snow removal. I assisted the road department by plowing the cul-d-sacs and narrow roadways on days that I am off shift. During the summer, I have helped lay asphalt before a road is chip and sealed. I have worked to build a good working relationship with the road crew.
There has been a lot accomplished in the last four years. I have more to learn and experience.
With the ARP funds, I believe it will be a challenge to find ways to follow the federal government’s guidelines. I humbly request your vote and allow me to continue to serve the residents of Sugar Creek Township.
Craig Limbach
Office Sought: Sugarcreek Township Trustee
Age: 54
Address: 2542 S. West Lebanon Rd. Dalton OH 44618
Family: Stepson: Logan (28) health care provider, Daughter: Blaire (26) RN in labor/ delivery,
Son: Jarod (21) a senior at OSU majoring in Agricultural Business with a minor in Agricultural Systems Management
Occupation, qualifications: (2001-present) Owner of Castle Guardian Home Inspections LLC. A full service real estate inspection company serving Northeast OH.
(2008-present) Managing partner of Misty Hollow Farms, specializing in equine forage production and registered Polypay sheep breeding stock.
(1992-2008) Owner of Misty Hollow Trucking Co.
Education: Central Christian HS, Hondros College, ASHI ACI Certified Master Inspector.
Elected Office Experience: Previous Sugarcreek Township Trustee: (8 yrs.)
Ohio ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) board of directors: (3 yrs.)
Wayne County Saddle Club: VP (2 yrs.), President: (5 yrs.)
2021 President: Northern Ohio Outlaws (cowboy mounted shooting association) board of directors: (3 yrs.)
Why are you running for this office?
I have always had a passion for local government. I have a heart for service, I’m proud of our township and I enjoy being involved in the community and helping people.
If elected, what is the key issue facing your community and how would you address it?
At this time, I am not aware of any one glaring issue that our township is facing. However, fiscal management and responsibility is an ongoing concern in every community and ours is no exception.
As a trustee, maintaining the township and managing the township funds is an expected requirement, but I also firmly believe as an elected official, there is a much bigger moral and ethical obligation for transparency and to be wise stewards of our resident’s tax dollars.
Trustees should do their due diligence to stay abreast of available grant funding options and programs and take the time to apply for free grant monies or if needed, zero interest loans. Through programs such as The Small Government Program which has $17.5 million dollars set aside and Ohio Public Works which based on information from their website, will have $200 million dollars available from fiscal year 2022 to 2026 for infrastructure improvements such as roads, bridges and culverts.
If you are running for re-election, or you served in an elected position in the past, what do you feel were your main accomplishments as an elected official? Please list a few campaign promises you made in the past and how you fulfilled them. Was there something you didn’t accomplish that you hope to try again this time?
Main accomplishments:
During the 8 years that I held a trustee position, the township was financially sound and if memory serves me correctly, we didn’t borrow money for anything. If money was not available in the township accounts for a big purchase, such as our new tractor and mower, we made do with what we had and waited until the funds were available.
I played a crucial role in updating our road fleet and spec’ing out the new trucks that were much more efficient and such an improvement, that other townships started asking for our spec sheets and ordering the same trucks.
During that time, I worked closely for several years with township residents, the ODNR and the Wayne County Engineers office to find the most economical solution for the failing dam on Pres Vannes Dr.
I worked closely with the Lake Harmony residents to help find a new process for a much more desirable and appealing road surface material other than traditional chip and seal.
Promises: I vowed to work diligently for our residents and to stand up for what is right and that vow remains today. I’m the person that will always ask the hard questions and say what needs to be said, whether it’s politically popular or not.
I’d like to thank you for your time and consideration and I would appreciate your support on Election Day.
Scott Widmer
Political Party: Fiscal Conservative
Office Sought: Township Trustee
Age: 57
Address: 13680 Emerson Road, Dalton
Family: Bonnie, wife, and Sean, son
Occupation, qualifications: Founder/Owner, Round Grove Products since 2013; I’ve run five businesses since starting my first one in 1975; 18+ years of Corporate Engineering and Operations Management
Education: Masters of Science in Operations Management; Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Technology – Purdue University
Elected Office Experience: 4 yrs as incumbent Township Trustee
Why are you running for this office? To maintain the momentum gained in Township business over the last four years—we’ve got fire levies now for our independent fire stations, all the lawsuits are resolved, the Road & Bridge levy is passed, the Township garage is compliant, the Capital Equipment Fund is preparing for future equipment replacement, and the Township General Fund is solvent and the fund balance is increasing—considering these accomplishments, the Township cannot afford to go backwards to methods from prior administrations.
If elected, what is the key issue facing your community and how would you address it? The next big issue will be considering how to distribute funds from the American Rescue Plan—we need to address this to benefit all our residents. Second, the fire levy renewals will be up for approval by the voters very soon, so that will require our support. Third, the street lighting in Lake Harmony and Kidron could transition to LED lamps for a cost-savings.
If you are running for re-election, or you served in an elected position in the past, what do you feel were your main accomplishments as an elected official? Please list a few campaign promises you made in the past and how you fulfilled them. Was there something you didn’t accomplish that you hope to try again this time?
I’m particularly pleased that Trustee pay is no longer automatically paid out at the maximum amount as it had been before my first term. Now Trustees are only paid for days they actually work and that’s a promise kept.
Getting the fire levies established solved a major problem in the Township identified 7-8 years ago, and I worked hard to fairly resolve that problem. I think getting that years-long lawsuit settled and the fire levies established was the main accomplishment of my first term.
That first meeting in 2018 with almost no balance in the General Fund was pretty tense, so seeing that balance increasing now, after enacting the Trustee pay changes and establishing the fire levy, is remarkable.
The Capital Equipment Fund is a significant accomplishment because prior administrations had relied on financing new purchases. Now with some long-term planning we can be prepared for replacing equipment as its useful life expires.
Finally, distributing the Federal relief funds to our local fire stations was another significant accomplishment during this first term.
