HAYESVILLE — There are two open seats on Hayesville Village Council and three people running for the positions.
The elected candidate’s term would commence on Jan. 1, 2024 and end on Dec. 31, 2027.
Council candidates include Todd Miller, Tucker Conrad and Libby Justice. Charles Gardner dropped out of the race.
None of them have prior experience in public office, although Conrad and Justice were both appointed to council recently.
Ashland Source contacted all three council candidates to ask about their backgrounds and motivations for seeking election.
Their answers, below, have been organized by alphabetical order according to last names.
Tucker Conrad
Conrad, 27, was appointed to Hayesville in August 2022. He was appointed after Bob Vinsack’s resignation as mayor. His resignation meant council president stepped in, causing a vacancy on council.
He described the experience, so far, as interesting and that he would like the opportunity to continue in his role.
He said his time on council has shown him how out of touch the village seems to be with the residents. He has taken the time campaigning to hear from residents on what they’d like to see changed.
“All of the council members have been on for a while, I just don’t think it’s a regular thing to go around and ask people what they’d like to see different,” he said.
If elected, he’d like to create a channel for council to stay in touch with the village’s residents. He said he’d also like to continue to make fiscally responsible decisions for Hayesville.
Conrad also said he wants to continue to get to know fellow council members better in order “to stay on top of the issues.”
The commercial sprinkler fitter has lived in Hayesville since he was five years-old. He lives in the village with his fiancee and his four children.
Libby Justice
Justice, 57, said she wants to continue to serve on council to give back to the community she’s lived in for 35 years.
Specifically, she’d like to continue the village’s efforts to get its water treatment plant finished. The project began seven years ago and has been projected to cost $2.6 million. The village received a $500,000 grant from Ashland County’s allocation of American Rescue Plan Act in 2021. The rest of the project, officials have said, is covered with a combination of state and federal grants.
“Also, just managing and keeping residents’ water bills down so they’re not too out of range,” she said. Keeping up with infrastructure needs around the village is another priority for her.
Justice was appointed to council last month when Chuck Gardner resigned.
Justice, whose husband, Jim, serves as an Ashland County commissioner, owns and operates Hair Connection in Ashland. She launched the salon 24 years ago and has been cutting and styling hair for 40 years.
She also serves on the Ashland County Cancer Association’s board.
She lives in Hayesville with her husband. They have a daughter and a son, and a grandson. One other grandchild is on the way, she said.
Todd Miller
Miller, 57, said he wants to serve because he believes it’s good to play an active role in democracy.
The Hillsdale Middle School teacher of government and history has never served in public office before, although he has served as the school district’s union president on and off for 15 to 20 years.
“I think we can move forward,” he said of the village’s council. “When you have the same people on for a long time, you tend to get lackadaisical. I’m not criticizing, I just think we can move in an updated direction.”
Miller has lived in Hayesville for 18 years, although he’s lived in the Hillsdale community for 47 years. He is married to a nurse practitioner and has two step daughters and one step son. He graduated from Hillsdale in 1985 and holds degrees from The Ohio State University and Ashland University.
His three areas of focus if elected are transparency, accountability and growth.
The priority for him, however, will be transparency. “I think the village can do a better job of communicating with the community. We have a village Facebook, I think we should post agendas and minutes of meetings there.”
If elected, he’d also like to create a newsletter that can be shared with villagers. It would have information such as showing how and where taxpayer money is spent.
“And then I’d like to work with the council to come up with a five- to 10-year vision — and make sure that’s in alignment with the community,” he said.