4 candidates vie for 2 Sullivan Township trustee seats

SULLIVAN— Voters in Sullivan Township will have choices on Nov. 4. 

Incumbent Ermal Alexander seeks re-election. Rob Gibson, Suzanne E. Runals and Glen Goff Sr. are also running for one of the two available seats.

Each seat’s term runs for four years and currently pays around $1,000 per month.

Early voting began Oct. 7. Read below for more information on each candidate.

Below is how candidates answered the following questions posed to them via email. Their answers have been organized alphabetically by last name and edited lightly for clarity.

Gibson declined to be interviewed.

Why are you seeking this particular office?

I’m not quite done with everything I started out to do. I just think I’m a pretty big asset to the community with all my background and knowledge. I’m just trying to help my town out.

What are the top 3 issues you will address if elected? How would you address them?

1. The roads are my main number one thing. Keeping up with maintenance on them. This year, we accomplished more chip and seal work than ever. I want to see that continue. 
2. We have a great volunteer fire department and EMS. So I’ll try to work with them to keep them up to date. I’m not on the fire department, I’m just helping them out.
3. Just seeing that our township gets anything that we can insofar as grants so we can be financially sound.

List the top 3 things that differentiate you from your opponents.

1. Just my ability to work with the town when they need things. I saved our township hundreds of thousands of dollars in culvert costs by helping them out.

2. I was fairly instrumental in getting our (new) fire truck. 

3. I do whatever it takes. I’ve helped out in a lot of projects in our township. Making the town look better as far as decorating and just everything. The fact that I’m available when the guys need, there could be bad weather in the middle of the night — I’m out there for our town people.

Other thoughts you would like to share

My main reason for running again is just that I want to see the continuation of what I’ve been doing in the township in the last four years. We’ve taken tremendous steps forward. I wanna see that continue on. 

Why are you seeking this particular office?

I believe with my experience and abilities, I can help Sullivan out. We need trustees who are willing to go out and work and use experiences they got to better the community. 

What are the top 3 issues you will address if elected? How would you address them?

1. We need to finish the roads. We have some gravel roads that need to be chip and seal. So we’ll finish working on that. How? We just need a plan. While trustee, I learned that we need to plan ahead — make a plan. When I was in office, there was no road work until we implemented a plan. So I’ll keep going and keep going hard at it. 

2. Some of our buildings, they are not what they ought to be. So I’ll look into getting them rebuilt or new. We have to plan ahead for that too. Are they replaceable? Can they be fixed? 

3. Just to have a township (the fire department and everybody) get rid of the drama. Let’s get back to the basics. I want people to look at Sullivan and say ‘that’s a great place.’ Because it is a great place to live. How? Well, we can start with how meetings are handled. If all the trustees handled the meetings professionally, we’d avoid the drama. There’s nothing that serious that goes on there that should upset people so much. It takes all three people behind that desk to do that, and to just be able to agree to disagree.

List the top 3 things that differentiate you from your opponents

1. Experience in office.

2. A willingness to go out and help the road or fire department if needed.

3. Experience with finances. I’ve been running a business all these years. So I know what it takes to do that. 

Other thoughts you would like to share

I’d just like another chance to help Sullivan out. I have quite a bit of experience to do that, so we have to get out and vote.

Why are you seeking this particular office?

I’ve lived here since 2006 and with my experience and background, I could help this community a whole lot. I am retired, but I was a corporate quality manager, so I have strong computer and networking skills. As a manager, I am very detail oriented.

What are the top 3 issues you will address if elected? How would you address them?

1. Zoning: I’d like to get the zoning book current. So I would get a zoning board in there to review the book and make changes according to what our zoning inspector and Ohio Revised Code tell us.

2. Infrastructure: I wanna look at the budget. There’s only so much that goes into cemetery, roads, etc. But I want to address the infrastructure, and see what we can do financially to maybe save money to upgrade our equipment or apply for grants and involve private investors. 

3. Upkeep of the community and keeping the community current: By the boards I sit on, my volunteerism — this enables me to make sure we’re current with what’s going on. I serve with other trustees and it helps me to know what can help us in the township. 

List the top 3 things that differentiate you from your opponents.

1. My computer and networking skills. 

2. Analytical skills and ability to find financial help. 

3. I can get along with people and find a healthy balance. I can work with many personalities.

Other thoughts you would like to share

Yes, our roads need work. But there’s a lot more about being a township trustee than road work. I don’t have my CDL anymore, but you can bet I’ll be out in an emergency, helping however I can. Fiscally, we can do better and I can help in a lot of other ways.