CLEAR CREEK TOWNSHIP — Clear Creek Township voters will decide on three new township trustees to fill two expiring terms and one unexpired term.
Titus Lamb and Ralph Weaver are running for the unexpired term that will expire on Dec. 31, 2027.
Incumbents Standley Crist and Ervin Yoder are seeking reelection for the four-year terms against newcomers Nick Stuart and Aaron Bauckman.
The race is nonpartisan and the position pays roughly $900 a month totaling nearly $11,000 annually.
Titus Lamb
Lamb is self-employed at Lamb Construction Services where he works with his dad and brother.
As the youngest candidate running for trustee, the 26-year-old has not been in an elected position before. His wife, Katelyn, is the township’s fiscal officer. They live in Nova with their two children.
He decided to run because he “wants to be part of the community [and the trustee position] seemed like a good opportunity,” Lamb said.
Lamb’s priorities if he is elected are maintaining the roads and ensuring township needs are met financially. He expects to deal with any specific projects after he is elected.
“We lead with our values first. We’re not going to shy away from having a hard conversation,” Lamb said.
He said his values are rooted in Christian faith.
“If people feel like giving me their vote, I’ll prove the vote was worth it,” he said.
Ralph Weaver
Weaver also works in construction at R.W. Enterprises. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in nursing from The Ohio State University.
The 45-year-old previously served as treasurer for the Savannah Volunteer Fire Company, but has not held an elected position before. He lives in Ashland.
After attending a few township trustee meetings, he decided to run for the unexpired term.
“I want to better the community,” he said.
He said he does not have any specific projects in mind to work on, but he does want to improve the road conditions.
“I’m willing to do it and I’ll do the best I can when I’m in there,” Weaver said.
Nick Stuart
Stuart is a Crestview High School graduate who works for the Butler Township road supervisor in Richland County.
Stuart previously served as Clear Creek’s fiscal officer from 2020-2024, he ran for re-election for a second term but lost to Katelyn Lamb.
“My goal was to first figure out how money moves [as a fiscal officer] and second to be a trustee to help the community out,” Stuart said.
During his time as fiscal officer, he failed to file timely file a form, which resulted in penalties and interest in the amount of $506.39, according to a Clear Creek Audit. Additionally, the township was assessed penalties and interest for late filing and payment of third quarter 2020 in the amount of $100.09.
Stuart paid the township the $606.48 and the matter was resolved.
As a trustee, Stuart plans to “establish good policies on long-term road maintenance and making everything as transparent as possible for the public,” he said. Part of that is modernizing some processes.
Stuart said he is qualified for this position because of his experience in construction, his role as the fiscal officer and his willingness to work alongside others “to do the hard things.”
He grew up in the township and has raised his three adopted children there.
“It’s good to have a lot of people running and showing interest [in local government],” he said.
Ervin Yoder
Yoder is a Warehouse Manager for Associated Charities seeking re-election for a second term as township trustee.
“I love helping people. It has been great serving our community for the last four years. It has been a great learning experience and I feel that I have a lot more to offer this community to continue to improve,” Yoder said.
If re-elected, Yoder will address:
- Continued Savannah Cemetery improvements, including the cemetery’s driveways, which Yoder said will need attention soon. Yoder said he has already brought in $5,000 in grants to fund improvements, such as resetting headstones.
- Continued town-hall restoration with a goal of reopening the full building to the public. Yoder said in his term, he helped other community members bring in funds to restore the town hall back in compliance with fire codes. “It is important that this building be available for community members to use,” he said. Yoder said he will research and apply for grants to help fund the project.
- Chipping and sealing more miles of roadway. Yoder said the township has been conservative in its equipment purchases, which has allowed trustees to “maximize the miles of roads we can maintain each year,” Yoder said.
The 36-year-old said his lifelong residency in Clear Creek, his responsiveness to residents’ concerns and his responsibility to his kids to make the area a great place to live makes him the right candidate for trustee.
He noted that over the past few years, he and his wife have been members of the Savannah Crestview Lions Club and served on the Clear Creek Fire District Board and Ashland County Solid Waste District Board.
“I am currently working on building a 24-by-24 pole barn as a personal donation for the Savannah Youth League to have a new maintenance building,” Yoder said.
“My wife and I decided that since this was the place we were going to call home, we have a responsibility to make it a great place,” he said.
Standley Crist
Crist has served as trustee for 19 years, through his career as a residential excavator and now as a 68-year-old retiree.
A lifelong resident and graduate of Crestview High School, Crist wants to continue to “make [Clear Creek Township] a better place for kids to grow up,” he said.
Crist said he is not worried about re-election because lots of residents know him as a trustee, a Savannah Lion Club member and vice president of Peace Lutheran Church in Ashland.
In his role as trustee, he will continue to improve roads and the town hall, which Crist says is used by several organizations as a meeting place. But, he wants the building to become fully accessible to residents.
He said he plans to specifically address Township Roads 1451 and 608 because semi trucks have damaged the roads.
The township does not need any new equipment, especially after purchasing a new truck last year, which will allow the trustees to focus on road improvements.
Crist said his years of experience in heavy equipment operation and his assistance in building roads for the last 19 years as trustee makes him qualified for the position.
Aaron Bauckman
Bauckman serves as the assistant fire chief at the Savannah Fire Division where he has worked and volunteered for nearly 30 years.
In addition to his work as assistant fire chief, he is a full-time farmer and does some construction work as well.
Besides a five-year gap, Bauckman has lived in the area his entire life. He’s a Crestview High School graduate.
He previously worked for the township as road supervisor, and would like to use that experience to take care of the roads, especially ones with potholes.
“I know the roads; I used to take care of them,” he said.
Bauckman describes himself as well-known in the township, a hard worker and willing to talk to people about their concerns.
For more information regarding the Nov. 4 election, visit the Ashland County Board of Elections website.