November 3, 2005

EDITORIAL

Election recommendations

Voters have a number of important decisions to make when they head to the polls on Nov. 8. All three of the competitive races in Yellow Springs — Village Council, school board and Miami Township trustee — feature interesting contests and tough choices. In fact, each race features many well-qualified candidates, meaning some villagers who would serve their community well will not win election.

Here are recommendations for the competitive races. Selecting candidates to recommend in each race was extremely difficult.

The Council race features seven people running for three seats. Council is in need of a change of personality and more diverse points of view to better represent the views of more community members. In recent years, there has been little in-depth questioning, let alone opposition, of plans devised by Council members, and rarely do Council members differ with one another. Nobody wants persistent arguments, but a lack of diverse opinions among Council members does not encourage meaningful debate and citizen participation. Without a greater variety of voices and ideas on Council, this trend won’t change.

Out of the many well-qualified candidates running for Council, Judith Hempfling, Kathryn Van der Heiden and Karen Wintrow can provide that needed change.

Ms. Hempfling, who is a nurse, has been involved in a number of important issues in recent years, including the effort to preserve Whitehall Farm and to educate the community about smart growth practices. Ms. Hempfling embraces an environmental point of view, but she does not oppose growth. She said Council should be more active on development matters and help influence growth so that it fits the needs of the community.

Ms. Van der Heiden is a psychotherapist, whose background in mediation and organizational consulting would be helpful as Council deals with tough decisions, including addressing Village finances. She would also bring a business perspective to Council. Ms. Van der Heiden supports growth, but emphasizes developing within Yellow Springs’ borders.

Both Ms. Hempfling and Ms. Van der Heiden say that more citizen participation is needed in Council matters. They also talk of the need for a variety of housing options in the community, including affordable housing.

Ms. Wintrow has an impressive and varied background with educational and community organizations. Her involvement in the Public Information Project, the Community Round Table and an area arts project would translate well on Council and help keep Council, and the public, informed of a number of private projects that will have an impact on the public. She said she's deliberate "about what I do and how I do it." She emphasized the need for Council to strive for consensus, which is something she said she worked for while on the Antioch School board.

What also won't bring change to Council is the election of a slate of three candidates, whose rhetoric signals that these candidates are likely to work well together but may not adequately represent various segments of the community or provide sufficient debate on serious plans. Council is supposed to be a nonpartisan political body, but electoral slates often lead to partisanship and stymies effective debate.

Five candidates are running for two seats of the Miami Township Board of Trustees. While Council is in need of change, the Township trustees are not. Incumbents Mark Crockett and Lamar Spracklen work well together and with trustee Chris Mucher, who is not up for election. Mr. Crockett and Mr. Spracklen deserve to be re-elected.

Mr. Crockett, who owns Rita Caz, has been actively involved in a number of community efforts, including participating in the visioning process and serving on Community Resources, the Community Information Project and the Community Round Table. Like Ms. Wintrow, Mr. Crockett’s experiences in these efforts give him a valuable perspective that’s needed on the board. He says that overseeing the Township fire department is the trustees' most important responsibility, and after four years as a trustee, Mr. Crockett has shown he's capable of providing that leadership.

Through his day job as a farmer, Mr. Spracklen, who was appointed to the board six years and was elected to a four-year term in 2001, brings an invaluable perspective to the Township government and the Board of Trustees. He represents a significant segment of the Miami Township/Yellow Springs community and can provide a different perspective to discussions about development. Given the emphasis on growth in this community, having a farmer who lives in Miami Township, outside Yellow Springs, is vital.

The school board race includes five candidates competing for three seats. In this race, the recommendation here is to re-elect Angela Wright and support Anne Erickson and Aïda Merhemic.

Ms. Wright, who has served 12 years on the school board, brings a tough, inquisitive perspective to the board. Along with board member Bill Firestone, who is not seeking re-election, Ms. Wright is likely to raise questions, which leads to better discourse and thoroughly scrutinized plans. She also brings experience and understanding of school finances, which are one of the school district's biggest challenges.

Ms. Erickson, a midwife, and Ms. Merhemic, a psychotherapist, would bring a lot to the school board through their community involvement and work. Ms. Erickson's three children went through the school system, while Ms. Merhemic's daughter is a sophomore at Yellow Springs High School. Both indicate they would approach the district's challenges in measured, reasonable ways.

Ms. Erickson has served on school-related committees, including PTOs, the Yellow Springs Endowment for Education and levy committees. She has interesting ideas for the district, including addressing the discipline system at YSHS and encouraging more community participation in the schools.

Ms. Merhemic has served on the Antioch School board and the public schools' Quality Education Committee, which devised education standards the district should meet based on local criteria. Her experience on the education committee should be helpful as the Board of Education implements the standards.

— Robert Mihalek