9 residents seek to fill opening on Sylvania council

2/26/2007

Nine Sylvania residents, including a former city mayor, have submitted letters expressing interest in filling a vacancy on City Council.

Candidate interviews will be conducted tonight during council's committee-of-the-whole meeting in council chambers. The new council member will replace Mark Bula, who has resigned effective Thursday.

Mr. Bula, who was elected to his seat in 2005, is moving out of the city.

Residents who have submitted letters of interest for the vacancy are:

•Pamela Borgess, an attorney with Zoll & Kranz in Toledo. Her practice is primarily civil litigation, but she has dealt with matters within municipal law.

•Nicholas Newnham, who graduated from Ohio University in June, 2006, with a major in economics and a minor in history. As a student, he participated in various student and university clubs and organizations. He has been a resident of Sylvania since 1993.

•Jim Seney, a former Sylvania council member and former Sylvania mayor who has been active in local and state government for 38 years.

•Michael Temple, president of Temple Development Co. LLC. He has a background in strategic planning, marketing, and business development.

•Richard Summers, network administrator for the Toledo Zoo and member of Sylvania's board of zoning appeals.

•Katie Cappellini, who has experience in sales, bookkeeping, and design. She is employed at American Gallery in Sylvania.

•Clark Collins, a former Sylvania council member for 24 years. He was Sylvania Township's zoning inspector from 1991 to 1993.

•Frank Kozak, past president of the Sylvania Community Improvement Corp. and an employee of Watterson Environmental Group LLC in Sylvania. He has been chairman of the feasibility study of the city and township merger.

•Todd Milner, sales manager for Balanced Line/Thacker Caskets Inc. He was a member of Sylvania council from 2001 to 2005.

Some residents contend that Mr. Milner should be appointed to the vacancy because he finished fifth in the 2005 City Council election. The top four vote-getters were elected.

Barbara Sears, council president, said that Sylvania's city charter states that appointments to vacancies on council will be made by council within 30 days. If council doesn't fill the seat within that period, it is up to Mayor Craig Stough to make the appointment.

It's possible that a new council member could be named and sworn into office next Monday.

Whoever is appointed to the vacancy will have to run for election in November to retain the seat and complete the two years remaining in Mr. Bula's term.