SAVANNAH — Thomas Kruse has served as Savannah’s mayor for 27 years.
This fall, his position is being challenged by Doug Yoho, a member of the city council.
The race has created what Yoho called a “dogfight.”
Signs lining Savannah’s main street are divided about evenly between Kruse and Yoho. The race will either keep Kruse in office for another term or bring a new voice to the mayor’s office.
Kruse said Yoho claims the village needs a change. Kruse thinks the village has seen constant change under his leadership.
Yoho said he’s concerned that everyone feels fairly represented in town, which is why he chose to run against Kruse.
Still, Yoho said both men have experience as leaders and want to serve.
Kruse emphasizes leadership record, new ideas
Thomas Kruse was born and raised in Solon, Ohio, but moved to Savannah over 45 years ago after finishing a degree in natural resources at The Ohio State University.
He raised his four children in Savannah.
“I love Savannah,” Kruse said. “It’s a great little village and I’m just proud to be part of it.”
He became involved in Savannah’s local government thanks to one issue.
“There were literally turds floating down the creek, and I wanted my kids to be able to play in the creek and I found out that there was no sanitary sewer system in the village,” Kruse said.
“Every catch basin stunk and the storm sewer system, that was the outlet for most of them.”
So, Kruse ran for office. As a councilman, he said he helped develop a sewer treatment facility and solve the issue.
Now Kruse, 75, has served as Savannah’s mayor for 27 years. He’s also a commissioner at the Ashland County Park District and taught for 30 years at the Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center.
Kruse has long lists of accomplishments from his 27 years as mayor. In his opinion, one of the biggest areas he has led on is infrastructure. After Savannah installed the sanitary sewer system, he said it led to a spurt of growth.
“It’s really been great fun being part of a new era in the village,” Kruse said.
Still, the mayor doesn’t feel like his job is complete. He has a number of priorities he hopes to accomplish if re-elected. They include:
- Completion of a 10-year-long Village Sidewalk project
- Increasing the village’s traffic enforcement program
- Publishing a website or newsletter to share village news
- Open the Savannah Woods as a village hiking park
- Install catch basins to handle increased flash flooding
- Develop a comprehensive mosquito control program
- Help make the Savannah Glen Subdivision be an addition to the village
- Find funding to build a sidewalk and bridge from Haney Street to the Family Dollar Store
For Kruse, running in a contested race offered a chance to look back at his record. He said he’s running on his successes. Still, the contest has allowed him a chance to get out and talk to people more than he usually would. Kruse also emphasized his attempt to keep his campaign local.
“I’ve been part of a lot of change,” Kruse said. “I’ve had to work with council, and over the years, I’ve had some fabulous councils. Small town leadership matters.”
He shared that over the years, he learned how to be a good leader. Kruse credited mentors at the Ashland County Park District for helping him to develop those skills.
Kruse said for him, leadership is about building consensus, thinking about the things you say and being involved in the community.
“It’s a craft you develop,” Kruse said.
Yoho aims to represent all, recognize Savannah history
Doug Yoho has worked as a contractor since 1978. Before that, he was in the military for three years.
Yoho has deep roots in Ashland County, graduating from Ashland High School and Ashland College, now Ashland University.
He also has taught Sunday school, acted as president of Savannah’s village council and is the director of Ashland Men, a group that he said comes together to pray for politicians.
Now, Yoho, 70, is running against incumbent Thomas Kruse to become Savannah’s next mayor.
He said he decided to run because of the way things were going in town. Yoho said some young people in Savannah told him they don’t feel represented in the local government. Yoho doesn’t want anybody to be overlooked.
“Everybody needs representation,” he said.
Throughout the course of his campaign, Yoho said he has focused on talking to people in the village.
If elected, Yoho said he hopes to put an emphasis on Savannah’s history. He said Savannah has multiple homes that were stops on the Underground Railroad, which helped Black slaves escape to free states before the Civil War.
According to a column from the Ashland Times-Gazette, a man named Robert Wilson worked in Ashland County as a conductor, and took people through Savannah. Yoho said there were as many as four stops in the Savannah area.
He also highlighted that Savannah is home to the last living Johnny Appleseed tree.
Despite these tales, Yoho said in his view, Savannah has never highlighted these parts of its history. He thinks they deserve recognition.
Yoho added that he’d hope to bring people together in the village via events like block parties.
“It’s important to come together and meet your neighbors,” Yoho said.
Communication in the village and among leaders are both important efforts for Yoho. He claimed that city council and the village trustees have had a lack of communication, and he hopes to improve on that, too.
“I know how to work with people and I know how to talk to people,” Yoho said.
His candidacy against Kruse, he said, isn’t thanks to a lack of respect.
“It’s not an animosity thing,” Yoho said. “It’s just time for change.”
