Baughman Township Trustees have a broad range of responsibilities, including participating in township board meetings, making decisions for the township s best interests, managing finances, adopting the annual budget, and maintaining roads and bridges. They also have duties related to public health and safety, such as controlling weeds and brush, managing ditches and drains.Key Responsibilities:Meetings and Decision-Making: Trustees attend township board meetings to participate in decisions and deliberations for the township s benefit.Financial Management: They are responsible for approving the annual budget, the appropriate ordinance, and auditing bills for payment.Infrastructure: Trustees oversee the management of roads, bridges, and other surface waters, including ditches and drains.Public Health and Safety: They are responsible for controlling weeds and brush within the township.Public Services: Trustees may also be involved in managing township hospitals or hospital districts.Public Trust: A trustee holds a fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interests of the public when managing township affairs.
Campaign Phone
330-466-1662
What is your current occupation and education?
Auctioneer - Realtor - Farmer
In my opinion, the top concern in Baughman Township is securing funding to provide the financial reserves to pay for our fire contracts with the 3 fire departments that currently cover Baughman Township. Our township was blessed with 2 large estate tax windfalls approx. 20 years ago and that has been the source of funds for the township’s fire contracts. We have never had a separate fire levy to supply those funds. Most residents are not aware that our township pays for fire & EMS coverage. They just assume when they call 911, they will be responded too. The statewide issue of less volunteers has moved most departments to staffing, thus increasing costs. Fire contracts are paid out of the general fund and Baughman Township has one of the lowest levels of general fund income in the county (approx. $153,000). We are looking at approx. $180,000 in fire contract obligations. Hence the need for our first fire levy request of 1.75 mils. - one of the lowest in the county. This will cost our residents approx. $61 per $100,000 of property value. Naturally, the timing is terrible with the recent across the board raises in property taxes. Hopefully, these will be adjusted. The fire departments we contract with do not have to cover us and technically, trustees do not have to provide fire & EMS coverage. I would hate to think if either of those happened.
I am currently finishing my third term as a trustee. I served 2 terms, ran unsuccessfully for Wayne County Commissioner, and took a few years off, then ran 4 years ago. Those experiences have given me strong relationships with other trustees and county officials.
Before I ran for the term I am currently finishing, there were issues with lawsuits, illegal meetings, and other items not being addressed that I couldn’t tolerate. Our township has moved forward in a positive way, and I feel one more term will move us even further in the right direction.
In today’s world, information, true or false, is available from many services and it seems like people tend to believe what they see or hear first. One on one conversation is still my preference. I think an elected official should take the time to do just that.
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