Education
Union College
Experience
I've been a Parkman Trustee for 6 years
Volunteer/Community Service
Parkman Little league coach, Flag Football coach, President of Cardinal Booster Club, Parkman Zoning Inspector, Board of Zoning Appeals, Pancake Breakfast
the role of a Trustee is to help manage the Township and make decisions that are best for the residents. I have been a Trustee for 6 years and enjoy the challenges that are presented
Costs keep going up, so you have to be very vigilant about spending and always be looking for additional revenue streams. the push to eliminate property taxes is concerning because they haven't said how they will replace the lost revenue.
continued improvement of our dirt roads,
ways to improve Fire Department staffing,
ways to increase community participation
We have a Township Website and a Community Facebook page
Education
Lakeland Community College; coursework in Accounting, Information Technology and Business
Experience
Parkman Fiscal Officer 2012-2014; Parkman Trustee 2022-2025
Volunteer/Community Service
Cardinal Finance Committee, 2019-2022; Board member, Newsletter production, Geauga Children’s Alliance, 2003-2006; Cardinal Athletic Booster Treasurer, 1987-1995
A Trustee is responsible for managing the township budget, approving expenses, certifying tax levies, and approving bills for payment. They oversee road maintenance, fire protection, cemetery and parks upkeep and zoning. A trustee must follow state law in carrying out their duties.
I have four years experience as a Parkman Trustee and Chairperson, handling responsibilities of being the Fire department liaison, managing expenditures of the American Rescue Plan grant, preparing the yearly budget, handling legal issues, presiding over meetings and setting the agenda, keeping abreast of all state laws affecting townships and researching all issues which the township faces. I also have two years experience as a Parkman Township Fiscal Officer
Road maintenance and construction is a very expensive project facing Parkman Township. The township wants to chip/seal all dirt roads. With more unpaved miles of road than any township in the county, the task is daunting. Due to a cost of $100,000 per mile, we have developed a 5 year plan under which we chip/seal one to two miles each year. Hosmer Rd, a three mile road, is on the schedule for 2026. This will be our largest road expenditure to date. We will be working to get a state grant to help with the cost.
Competing with full-time fire departments who pay benefits to their employees, makes recruitment difficult for most towns in Ohio. Parkman is always working to increase staffing as a part-time department. Part-time fire departments need to collaborate with neighboring townships to share services and blend staffing. Parkman Township is currently working with Troy to accomplish this.
The installation of a network for information preservation and availability of data for use by township officials is critical. Efficiently accessing documents such as financial reports, policies and records will aid in making better decisions. We are working with GC ADP to create a networking system, including a new website and email system.
In fulfilling the agenda of my first term to find avenues to communicate with residents, I created a Facebook page. On this page, I post matters of pending importance such as weather warnings, utility notices, meeting notices or changes, and issues they should be aware of. I also post county job opportunities, human interest stories, pictures of township events and media stories.
As part of the technology upgrade we are working on with ADP, I hope to eventually have a method of mass emailing township residents to disseminate important information, create a community newsletter through a new website and conduct surveys.
Education
High School Graduate
Experience
25 years in Public Safety
Volunteer/Community Service
Volunteer Firefighter from 1999-2009
The role of the township trustee is to represent their citizens in decisions affecting the safety and quality of life of residents and visitors of the township. This is best accomplished by engaging with citizens to hear their concerns and suggestions. As a trustee you serve not as a ruler, but as a representative of the people. They place their TRUST in you to do that. (TRUSTee). I have attended many township trustee meetings over the past several years and have learned a great deal of what is going on in the township and even more importantly what many of the needs are in our township. I'm not just someone running because I thought it sounded "fun". I have been paying attention and desire an opportunity to try to help find solutions.
The biggest fiscal challenge facing Parkman Township is the costs associated with improving and maintaining township roads. Parkman Township has several miles of dirt roads, and they break down and deteriorate rapidly due to many factors, especially the harsh winter weathers we often see in our region. Parkman Township's current budget does not support the high costs of paving these dirt roads. So, we will continue to have to search for additional sources of funding to help support these costs prior to looking to increasing levies, placing greater burden on the taxpayers.
My background for over twenty-five years has been public safety. I feel we need to find ways to fund and support our local fire department better moving forward. The township has not passed a fire levy in several tries now. Fire and EMS are essential services to our community. I will look to work closely with the other trustees and the fire chief to try to find out what needs to be done to regain the support of voters to pass a fire levy. I too will work to find ways to increase station personnel staffing of our township fire department. I want to be able to sleep at night knowing that if your family or my family need to call for these essential services that those calls are going to be answered.
I will engage with residents in the community by attending community events and simply listening to their concerns. I will make myself reachable to them as I believe the only way to truly represent them is to hear them. More importantly, I will always be honest and transparent with our residents. I do not believe in simply telling someone something what I think they want to hear. I feel honesty is the only way to build and maintain trust. I will encourage residents I speak with to attend township meetings and share with them the benefits I have gained by doing that myself over the last several years.
