Education
Graduated from Northfield High School, Northfield, VT. Attended Castleton State College.
Experience
15 years in banking/finance, including as team lead in several roles focused on helping those with mortgage challenges during financial crisis.
Volunteer/Community Service
Prior volunteer work as assistant girl scout troop leader, community theater, library board of trustees & local civic organizations.
South Russell Village Council responsibilities involve maintaining and updating village policy, managing budget, essential services, administration, zoning, environmental preservation and overall strategic planning. I love my community and I’m not afraid of hard work. My 15 years working in banking/finance has brought me experience working hard to make a difference in the community and the power of how we can each make a lasting positive impact. If elected this will be evident with the energy and willingness to explore new ways to enhance our community and maximize our resources.
Many residents are concerned about safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. The Bicycle and Safe Pedestrian Committee has presented a proposal to utilize a substantial amount of grant funding available to build a path to make the road safer, particularly between the village park and the school. I would like to agree upon a plan with council to build a path to make the community safer and reduce the risk of accidents, while also creating a healthy space for residents to be outdoors and get exercise. I would also look to establish and maintain a Resiliency Plan to improve village sustainability and proactively manage the impacts of future weather/ecological events.
I intend to lead and listen with clarity and transparency and make public meeting times and minutes more easily accessible to the public and make it easier for residents to participate in discussion and engage with council. I would also encourage for council to look for best ways to obtain accurate feedback from the community as needed when making decisions, as well as streaming public meetings as much as possible. I would aim to address concerns brought to my attention with a sense of urgency and do what I feel is necessary to make sure residents’ concerns are adequately addressed in a timely manner.
Education
BA - University of Akron, MA - Kent State University
Experience
Councilmember - 1 term. Chairman of Safety Committee & HR Committee; past Chairman of Streets Committee & Building Committee. Executive with mid-size Cleveland manufacturing company
Volunteer/Community Service
Past member South Russell Board of Zoning Appeals, Past President of Kensington Green HOA, Chagrin Valley Jaycees, former youth sports coach, volunteer with various trade groups
The role of this office is to represent the desires of the community, provide services residents expect, and be prudent with their tax dollars. At times, this job also requires you to make difficult decisions that are in the best interest of the community, but not popular with some. I believe that my experience from the past four years on council – including serving as Chair of four committees – past service on the South Russell Board of Zoning Appeals and past-president of the 105-home Kensington Green HOA, coupled with my professional experience as an executive for a mid-size manufacturing company, has prepared me well to serve the residents of South Russell.
The community challenges I hope to address in the next four years are pedestrian infrastructure, stormwater mitigation, community safety, and fiscal oversight. It’s imperative that we grow the pedestrian infrastructure to protect children and adults from traffic on main thoroughfares, continue to make significant strides with impactful stormwater projects, support our first responders by giving them the tools they need to get the job done and projecting their personal safety, review and address safety vulnerabilities within the community, and be prepared for unexpected loss of revenues due to changes in Ohio property tax statute or reduced income tax caused be economic downturn.
As a representative of the people, you are only as good as the feedback you receive from your constituents. So, I will continue to ensure that residents are informed and engaged with issues of concern by communicating through various channels (face-to-face, my social media, phone, email, etc.), invite community feedback through those channels, encourage residents to attend Council and committee meetings, utilize the Village communication channels (newsletter, text alerts, social media), and encourage local media outlets to share important information through their channels.
Education
Kent State University, 1975
Experience
RN, 35 years working
Volunteer/Community Service
Chagrin Falls Alumni, Paw Paw Lake HOA, Valley Lutheran Church, DAR, CF Historical Society
South Russell Council supports and maintains the continuous work and safety of the 102 year old Village. As a lifelong resident, I care deeply for the ever-changing future of my homeplace, along with my fellow dedicated Councilmen. In 1923, there were 127 residents on farms, raising most of their own food. Today, South Russell has approximately 4,000 residents. The farms are gone, with the exception of Top Knoll Flower Farm, and folks keeping small chicken flocks.
We continue to address water and drainage issues, safety issues, land maintenance and our well-used Park. A group of residents have asked for a dedicated pedestrian/bike trail.
There was a large push for a bike trail on Bell Rd. in 1992; it failed at the ballot. A smaller effort occurred in the early 2000's. Sadly; we had the answer at our feet until 1968, with our branch of the Interurban Railway. This straddled the South Russell/Bainbridge border. Many hours have been spent documenting our written history, as a municipality that seceded from Russell Township in 1923. There is much more to complete; My hope is for completion during this term, in conjunction with our great nation's 250th Birthday. South Russell supports America 250.
Residents are welcome, and may speak, at all meetings, which are also Zoomed. Our website, Southrussell.com is informative. Our email and phone contacts are made available. We publish an online quarterly newsletter We need more resident involvement on separate Boards; a problem currently occurring in many municipalities.
Education
MA (National Security & Strategic Studies) US Naval War College, Newport RI // BS (Engineering) US Naval Academy, Annapolis MD// Miami U
Experience
Retired Career Naval Officer / Retired Manufacturing Manager / 8 years service on South Russell Village Council
Volunteer/Community Service
Leadership Geauga (Recent Board Member 5+ years). Member of various veteran and community service organizations.
Council Members are elected to serve in the Legislative branch of the village. The council enacts ordinances and resolutions to provide for village services, enacts and amends the codified ordinances, sets public policy, makes appropriations, incurs debt, establishes employment positions and salaries of all employees of the village, exercises budgetary control over village departments, confirms the mayor's appointments, adopts an annual balanced budget and other duties as granted by the state. I bring a wealth of executive level leadership and management experience to the position, a willingness to serve all residents and provide value for their tax dollar.
1. Maintain the semi-rural nature of South Russell.
2. Provide a safe and secure community through continued support of our village police force and the Chagrin Valley Fire Dept.
3. Provide the highest level of essential services to residents to include well maintained roads and returning to the higher levels of winter snow removal we have had in the past.
4. Support expanded community services beyond trash/shred day to include xmas tree disposal and curbside leaf pickup.
5. Continue support of community trails and parks.
6. Promote continued fiscal responsibility & accountability.
7. Champion government integrity and transparency.
8. Investigate expanded use of village campus to include "pop up" food truck days and other community events.
Government transparency is a foundational principle in a democratic society, asserting that government operations, decisions, and information should be readily available to the public. This openness allows citizens to understand how their government functions and to hold it accountable. It fosters trust and ensures that public institutions serve the interests of the people they represent. It involves making government actions, records, and decision-making processes visible and understandable to the public. We are fortunate in South Russell that village Council meetings are open to the public, public comment is welcome, and proceedings are available to be viewed remotely. Mtg. minutes and legislation can be viewed on the village website.1.
Education
B.S., U.S. Naval Academy (1984); M.A., University of Maryland (1986); J.D., Rutgers University (2000)
Experience
19+ years as a Councilman in the Village of South Russell
Volunteer/Community Service
Treasurer, Chagrin Valley Rotary Club and Foundation (2015-present); Volunteer Counsel for Geauga County Veteran Food Pantry (2020-present)
As one of six members of the South Russell Village Council, my Council duties include oversight of Village finances, expenditures to maintain essential services, such as maintaining Village roads in prime condition, and ensuring the proper functioning of the Village's Police, Service, Building, and Administrative Departments.
I believe the experience I have gained while serving on Council and as the Chairman of various committees for the last 19 years makes me the best candidate for this job, especially with regard to initiating and monitoring stormwater mitigation projects within the Village, providing property tax relief to residents, and maintaining the Village's infrastructure while keeping taxes as low as possible.
Stormwater mitigation projects must continue to reduce flooding problems that affect Village residents. Maintaining Village roads and properties must also be a priority for the residents' benefits.
Property tax relief must continue, especially for seniors and young families.
A pedestrian trail/bike path along Bell presents a challenge that will need close oversight so that Village funds are spent wisely.
Support for Chagrin Falls schools and the Village's police department must continue. These challenges must be met in a fiscally prudent manner to keep taxes as low as possible.
I have worked to accomplish these goals since being elected to Council. I will continue to do so if re-elected.
Council meetings, broadcast live on the Village's YouTube channel, and the Village's newsletter, delivered electronically, are two of the best means to keep residents informed. Residents are also welcome and encouraged to attend Council meetings in person.
Feedback is very much appreciated, whether by residents attending Council or committee meetings, or through emails and phone calls directly to myself and other Council members.
Education
Dr. Rensel grew up in Mayfield Village and has a MD in Neurology and Neuroimmunology from the Medical College of Ohio and Cleveland Clinic.
Experience
Dr. Rensel is a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic for over 30 years. She shares her knowledge through national lectures, national committees and state boards. She is a business founder who mentors women in medicine and promotes neuroscience career coaching.
Volunteer/Community Service
Dr. Rensel’s volunteer experience includes: Southwyck Social Group, Girl Scouts, Chagrin Falls Education Foundation, MS Society Board, and Academy of Neurology Advocacy Committee.
My 30 years of experience in medicine has greatly prepared me for the Village Council role in that I am an expert in caring for both individuals and communities. I have seen that caring with connection, research and resources improves quality of life. The council adopts village ordinances and reviews active issues while focusing on the South Russell (SR) mission; providing a high level of essential services and planning for future needs while preserving the character of the village and promoting an attitude of professionalism and impartiality in a fiscally responsible manner. As a grateful 26-year resident of SR, I seek to enhance its safety and health while avoiding complacency.
The challenges I will address are improving safe walkability, preserving quality emergency services and addressing future fiscal risks to small Ohio towns. Residents of all ages and our local businesses can benefit from enhanced safe transport connecting our community. EMS costs are rising and finding the highest quality services for all our residents is vital. We would like to prepare for the uncertain future by preserving the character of our village while enhancing the safety and health of the community. We need to responsibly build local resilience through health, innovation, quality EMS and preparing for possible changes to Ohio tax structure. As a member of the Village Council, I will collaborate to support our SR community.
I will inform and engage the residents through multiple channels mainly by showing why safety and health are important now. After talking with a range of SR residents, I learned that some are not aware of the grant funding for a possible trail to enhance the safety of the community as well as EMS costs. This includes the options that neighboring towns have taken to enhance walkability and EMS services. We can learn from how our neighbors addressed these shared concerns. I recognize that people are busy, it is hard to keep up with local issues unless they are urgent or a tragedy has happened. But, we do not want to wait for a tragedy to take action on our Village safety. The time is now.
