Voters in Erie Township support former official facing charges
11/8/2006MONROE - Erie Township voters returned their former treasurer - who is charged with two counts of improper safekeeping of public monies - to her job last night, and four incumbent Monroe County commissioners have apparently maintained their seats, according to unofficial election results.
Cindy Baum, who bested Republican Amanda Jacobs, stepped down last November from her Erie Township treasurer post. She is scheduled to be in Monroe County Circuit Court for a hearing tomorrow. A jury trial is scheduled for Nov. 15.
In Bedford Township, voters again said no to a 0.30-mill parks levy that would have generated about $294,000 to create a new park and maintain others. The levy also failed in August. The current millage rate of 0.25, which generated about $225,000 annually for parks, will expire at the end of this year.
After precinct votes were tallied, the parks issue appeared to have passed, but when absentee ballots were counted the levy fell about 400 votes short of passage, according to the township clerk's office.
Twenty-four of 69 Monroe County precincts were reporting by 11:30 last night.
A money issue calling for the expansion of the Summerfield-Petersburg library, which failed in August, easily passed.
In Summerfield and Petersburg voters agreed that a 15-year, $625,000 bond issue for the Monroe County Public Library System's Summerfield-Petersburg branch, is needed to expand the library by up to 50 percent. Chairman of the Library Board Noel Dentner said over the past five years the library has had more patrons and has had to increase the programs it offers.
In August, Petersburg voters approved the proposal, 91-59, but in Summerfield Township, voters rejected the request, 135-130. Both have to approve the measure for it to pass.
County voters appear to have returned at least four incumbents to the county commission. There were seven contested races.
In District 1, with 100 percent of the votes counted, incumbent J. Henry Lievens (R., Petersburg) narrowly defeated Judy M. Heath (D., Milan).
Incumbent Dale W. Zorn (R., Ida) was leading Mike Sperling (D., Monroe) in the District 2 race.
Incumbent Floreine M. Mentel (D., Monroe) was facing off against University of Toledo senior Nicholas Turner (R., Monroe), and Patricia Kosanovich (write-in, Monroe) in District 4. No results were available at midnight.
Incumbent William Sisk (D., Monroe) was leading Marty Selvidge (R., Monroe) in District 5.
In District 6, incumbent commissioner chairman Jerry Oley (D., Monroe) was leading Jeffery S. Osment (R., Monroe).
John S. Fowler (D., Albain) was ahead of incumbent Randy Ansel (R., LaSalle) in District 7.
And in District 8, Connie Velliquette (D., Temperance) easily bested write-in candidate James Goebel (Temperance), with 100 percent of the precincts reporting.
Contact Benjamin Alexander-Bloch
at: babloch@theblade.com
or 419-724-6050