Schools issues, trustee races fill Holmes ballot
Roger and Carol Weaver of Millersburg stop by the Holmes Board of Elections to vote early. Early voting will continue in providing voters with another option to cast their vote on local issues this election.
Expressing your right to vote is an important part of being a citizen on a national, statewide, and local level. Those registered to vote will be able to cast their ballots in the Holmes County General Election right here at home on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 2, in a number of important races and issues.
A number of Holmes County-area schools have issues on the ballot, but only one of them is asking for any sort of new money. East-Holmes Local School District, Loudonville-Perrysville Exempted Village, Wayne County Joint Vocational and West Holmes Local will only be asking voters for renewals to levies already in place. Only Ashland County-West Holmes JVS will be asking residents for additional money, with a 1.1 Mills continuing levy on the ballot for permanent improvements.
Both kindergarten through grade 12 school districts in the county — East and West Holmes — have contested school board races on the Nov. 2 ballot. There are four candidates running for three open seats on both the East Holmes and West Holmes local school districts’ school boards.
On the East Holmes side of things Julia Klink, Laurel Miller, Steve R. Miller and Tyra Schlabach are running for the board. Klink is an incumbent seeking re-election. For West Holmes Andrew D. Jones, Hans Ramseyer, Micah Snyder and Tina Zickefoose are on the ballot for open positions. Jones and Zickefoose are currently on the board, seeking another term.
A contested race is also on the ballot when it comes to Millersburg Village Council this election season. There are four open positions come Nov. 2, but five local citizens are running. They are Brad Conn, Marris Hoffee, Brent Hofstetter, Devone Polen and Bob Shoemaker. Conn, Hofstetter and Shoemaker are up for re-election.
Of the 14 Holmes County township trustee races on the ballot, only three of them are contested, or have more citizens running than open spots available. In Hardy Township, there are seven people running for only two positions, Killbuck Township has three interested candidates running for two trustee spots and four people are hoping to get one of two open Monroe Township trustee positions.
The seven Millersburg residents interested in becoming a Hardy Township trustee are: Rodney D. Arnold, Dave Barkman, Chris Durst, Albert J. Miller, Brock VanSickle, Steve Waltman and Andrew Zollars. In Killbuck, Jeff Chaney, Chad Cline and Jack Whitney are running, and Ben J. Brannon, David Burgett, Jon T. Mast and Mitch McDowell are on the ballot for Monroe Township trustee.
Several local village and township issues will also be up for vote on Nov. 2. One of those includes a liquor permit for Sunday sales at LaPalma Mexican Grill, located at 60 W. Jackson St. in Millersburg. It would allow the sale of wine, mixed beverages and liquor on Sundays between the hours of 11 a.m.-midnight. LaPalma already has a liquor license during its other operating hours throughout the week.
There will be no changes to any polling places or locations in Holmes County for the Nov. 2 election, according to Board of Elections Director Lisa Welch. And as the country continues to accommodate living in the new COVID-19 pandemic world, signs will still be up about social distancing during voting, but masks will not be required.
“Voters can wear them if they would like to,” Welch explained. “Curbside voting will still be available this year. If someone doesn’t feel well, please don’t enter the polling location. You can call our office and we can let the appropriate polling place know.”
The option to vote prior to Election Day is still available to citizens, Welch said, as the Board of Elections office will be open Oct. 25-29 for absentee voting, from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. each day. The office will also be open Oct. 30 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and Oct. 31 from 1-5 p.m.
“It is still called absentee, but it is just the same as early voting,” Welch said. “You can come in here to vote before Nov. 2 and then you don’t have to go to your polling location. We also still have the drop box out front so you can come in early, take your ballot home, fill it out and drop it off right outside our offices. We will have the curbside voting too during the early absentee period, so voters can do that the same hours we are open Oct. 25-31.”
Welch said that as a last resort, the Holmes County Board of Elections will even open its doors for limited hours the day before elections, on Monday, Nov. 1, until about 2 p.m.
“We understand that some people have things come up last minute, so we will be open those limited hours on Monday,” Welch said. “We recommend anyone coming that day arrive after 8 a.m. and use those hours as a last resort.”
For more information and to view all issues planned for the Nov. 2 ballot, visit the Holmes County Board of Elections website at www.boe.gov/holmes or call 330-674-5921.