Candidates’ deadline in two weeks

By Robert Mihalek

Just two weeks remain before the deadline for Yellow Springers who want to run for local office this year. But based on the number of known petitions circulating around town, not all the races are guaranteed to be competitive.

The ballot on Election Day, which is Nov. 8, will list three positions on both Village Council and the Yellow Springs school board, two seats on the Miami Township Board of Trustees and the Yellow Springs Mayor’s position.

The deadline is Thursday, Aug. 25, at 4 p.m., for those who plan to run for office. Nominating petitions must be turned in to the Greene County Board of Elections, 651 Dayton-Xenia Road in Xenia. There is a $30 filing fee.

Official petitions to run for Council or the Yellow Springs mayor’s position are available outside the Council room in the Bryan Community Center, with Clerk of Council Deborah Benning and at the Greene County Board of Elections office.

Petitions for Council or mayor must be signed by at least 35 registered voters from Yellow Springs. The Board of Elections recommends that candidates gather two times the required number of signatures.

Petitions for school board and the Miami Township Board of Trustees are available at the Board of Elections. Petitions for the Board of Education and Township trustee must have 25 valid signatures of registered voters.

An employee at the Board of Elections reported on Tuesday morning that so far only Bruce Rickenbach has filed a petition to run for a seat on Council. Rickenbach was appointed to Council in April, filling a vacancy created when George Pitstick resigned. Because petitions to run for Council and mayor are available outside the Council chambers, it is difficult to track who may be circulating petitions for those Village positions.

The other seats on Council that will be available this fall are held by Tony Arnett, the Council president, and Denise Swinger. Arnett announced last week that he would step down from Council by the end of September because he is moving to Wisconsin. Swinger told the News earlier this summer that she does not intend to seek re-election.

The two candidates in the Council contest who receive the most votes at the polls will receive four-year terms, and the candidate receiving the third highest number of votes will receive a two-year term. The top three finishers in the Council race will join Mary J. Alexander and Jocelyn Hardman, both of whom were elected to Council in 2003.

Yellow Springs Mayor David Foubert has filed to seek his eighth term in office. He is the only candidate to file a petition for the mayor’s race, the Board of Elections reported.

Under the Village Charter, the mayor of Yellow Springs is recognized as the official head of the Village for all ceremonial purposes and by the governor of Ohio for military purposes. In addition, the mayor oversees the Yellow Springs Mayor’s Court. The mayor may attend Council meetings and participate in discussions, though the mayor does not have voting power.

The Board of Education race is shaping up to be more competitive, based on the number of petitions being circulated.

On Tuesday, the Board of Elections reported that three people have filed to run for school board: incumbent Angela Wright and Aida Merhemic and David Triplett. In addition, Anne Erickson and Terry Whorton have taken out petitions but have not filed.

The winners of the school board race will join Rich Bullock, the board president, and Richard Lapedes. Officials elected to the school board serve four-year terms. Current school board members Mary Campbell-Zopf and Bill Firestone do not intend to seek re-election.

Lamar Spracklen and Mark Crockett, the incumbents on the Miami Township Board of Trustees whose seats expire this year, have filed to run for re-election. David Heckler and Suzanne Patterson have taken out petitions for the trustee race but have not filed, the Board of Elections reported.

The top two finishers in the trustee race will receive four-year terms and join Chris Mucher, who was re-elected in 2003, on the board.

In addition, three seats will be on the ballot for the Village Council in Clifton. The positions are currently held by Steve Robbins, Anthony Satariano Jr. and Anthony Satariano Sr.