BUCYRUS — The Mid-Ohio Progressives hosted a Meet the Candidates Night at the Bucyrus Public Library on Monday evening in preparation for the primary election coming up in May.
Issues on the ballot include one for Crawford County, which will be 0.5 percent sales and use tax to support criminal and administrative justice services specifically the administration and maintenance of the Crawford County Justice Center for a continuing period. It was emphasized that the issue is not an increase in sales tax, it is simply a new sales tax for the same amount.
For the City of Bucyrus, the issue is for a 0.5 percent levy on income to be used for construction, general improvement, and continued maintenance, repair, and upkeep of public streets, thoroughfares and alleys, curbs, gutters, catch basins, and wheelchair ramps within the city of Bucyrus, and for the purchase of such street equipment and machinery as deemed necessary to accomplish same, for a period of six years commencing July 1, 2019. This issue is also not an increase in sales tax, it is the same amount that is already paid.
Mayoral candidates who attended the meeting were Jenny Vermilion, Ronald Bores, Mike Alonas, Louis Katona III and current mayor Jeff Reser.
City council president candidates present were Kurt Fankhauser and Terry Spiegel, and for Bucyrus city council second ward was Candace Yocum.
Mayoral candidate Jenny Vermillion came out in support of both the jail and street levies that will be on the ballot. When she was asked what she thinks qualifies her for being mayor, she said that with different positions she has had throughout her life, such as being a mother, wife, and county commissioner, have led her to this point and helped develop her understanding in local government.
Next to speak was Kurt Fankhauser, who is running for Bucyrus City Council President. He spoke on how he has grown up around Bucyrus and has watched as people struggled with lack of jobs and rising utilities costs. He talked about how he has watched people move away to live more out in the rural areas to get away from town. He spoke on how when Bucyrus was in crisis a few years back, they built a $20 million water treatment plant and how there are several rate increases scheduled over the next several years. He fears that Bucyrus will price themselves too high and people won’t want to live here anymore.
Terry Spiegel, also running for Bucyrus City Council President, spoke on how he moved to Bucyrus 47 years ago and how he started working at the Bucyrus waste water department plant and how he worked his way up to plant chief and superintendent. He is currently the Bucyrus Utility Supervisor. He spoke on how the water treatment plant was needed, because they couldn’t improve the old one because of where it sat and the flooding that happens in that area.
Spiegel was asked if he was familiar with the Northern Ohio water controversy in which it was falsely reported that the city was going to sue because they wanted to supply water to Sulphur Springs. Spiegel explained that the city was never going to sue, as of the 110 possible people in Sulphur Springs who would have bought water from the business, only 15 said they would like to. He said that the city didn’t sell them water because their price was less than what it cost to make, so the city would be losing money.
Another mayoral candidate to speak was Mike Allonas, who was a local business owner of Mike’s TV and Appliance. He said he believes in and supports local businesses and believes that there should be a better emphasis on them. He is running for mayor because of a motorcycle accident he was in about year ago and he spent two and a half weeks in Mansfield in ICU. He says that he has a new lease on life and that he has a lot to give to Bucyrus.
He is looking to find a way to fight the drug epidemic by building a rehabilitation center for people to go to get help. He is also hoping to bring in more jobs into town that will in turn bring in more people back into Bucyrus.
Next to speak was mayoral candidate Louis Katona III. Katona has been in law enforcement for 36 years and has been the office manager at Katona Realty for 25 years. He would like to bring more higher paying jobs into Bucyrus to “ramp up” the town. He said people also need to promote Bucyrus more, and that whenever he goes camping across the country, he will give them a book from the Chamber of Commerce and if he is grilling, he will give them a Carle’s bratwurst that he makes sure to have on hand. He said that he would like there to be less arguments in city hall and that everyone needs to get on the same page to start bettering Bucyrus.
The final candidate to speak was the current mayor of Bucyrus, Jeff Reser. Reser discussed how the number one problem in Bucyrus in the population drop.
He said once a population drops, it’s like a businesses losing volume.
“You know you got to make some changes,” Reser said.
He also discussed the big changes is drug overdoses and how Bucyrus was high up on the drug overdose list, but now it is in the bottom 25 percent. He spoke on how citizens of Bucyrus must come together to make the town better, as it isn’t a one-person job. Reser also spoke on the water plant issue by saying that it was necessary that the plant was built because if it floods, you could be out of water for months. The new plant will last another 50-70 years, and he is hoping that the plant will be the water provider for the county someday, and that as of right now there are no rate increases planned right now. When the plant is paid off, the rates will come down.
Reser was asked if there are any plans for there to be a rehabilitation center in the city.
He said he has been working with BORN and some other concerned people in the community to find a place that is community funded because there is no federal government money supporting the cause.
“We’re looking into it,” Reser said.
There will be another Meet the Candidates Night on April 17 at the Bucyrus Secondary School hosted by the Bucyrus Firefighters IAFF Local 1120.