Toledo suburban races include mayor's contest, park levy, council elections

From left: mayoral candidates Thomas G. Mackin, left, and incumbent Michael J. Olmstead; Perrysburg Board of Education candidates Dora Lopez, Eric J. Benington, Gretchen H. Downs, Kelly Ewbank, and Sue Larimer at a candidates forum hosted by the League of Women Voters in Perrysburg.

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From left: mayoral candidates Thomas G. Mackin, left, and incumbent Michael J. Olmstead; Perrysburg Board of Education candidates Dora Lopez, Eric J. Benington, Gretchen H. Downs, Kelly Ewbank, and Sue Larimer at a candidates forum hosted by the League of Women Voters in Perrysburg.

A fisherman casts his line into the lake in Olander Park. Sylvania voters will decide a 0.8-mill property levy for the parks.

Toledo’s surrounding suburbs all have their own elections to decide this week, including a charter amendment for Waterville city residents that could modify the city’s term limits. 

The amendment, presented Tuesday for voter approval, would give each city councilman a third consecutive term on the council, before having to step aside for at least one two-year term before running again. Current city law only gives candidates two consecutive terms before term limits would force them out of office, a practice that worries city officials who have watched very few candidates run for the positions. 

This year, Waterville city council has three incumbents, Mary Duncan, 62, Charles Larkins, 65, and John Rozic, 66, running for re-election, challenged only by Anthony Bruno, 20. 

Perrysburg

The city of Perrysburg has the only contested suburban mayoral election. 

Tom Mackin, a former city councilman and current general counsel for the Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority, won the September primary with 63 percent of the vote. Incumbent mayor Michael Olmstead, also a former city councilman, finished second, with 24 percent of the vote.

Perrysburg’s city council will see some new faces, with seven candidates running for four council seats. Haraz Ghanbari, 36, and Ashley McMahon, 28, are running for the last two years of an unexpired term. Jim Matuszak, 53, and Barry VanHoozen, 58, both incumbents, are running for re-election, and are challenged by Deborah Born, 55, Todd Grayson, 39, and Chip Pfleghaar, 34, for the three full-term seats up for election.

The Perrysburg school district also has a contested school board race. All three incumbents, Gretchen Downs, Sue Larimer, and Eric Benington, are running to retain their seats. Dora Lopez is the lone challenger who will appear on the ballot, while Kelly Ewbank is running as a write-in candidate.

Maumee

In Maumee, six candidates are running for four city council seats, including incumbent candidates Brent Buehrer, 53, Thomas Wagener, Jr., 58, Tim Pauken, 57, and Tracey Elmore, 53. Mrs. Elmore was appointed to council earlier this year after Julie Rubini, 56, resigned. Scott Noonan, 30, and Lou Thomson, 62, are challenging.

Maumee Schools will have a contested school board race. Stephanie Piechowiak, 61, and Janet Wolff, 66, are running for re-election, and are challenged by Jennifer Campos, 39, recent Maumee High School graduate David Thomas, age unknown, and father-daughter duo Jeremy and Julia Demagall, ages 44 and 19.

The municipal court judge’s seat is also up for grabs. Incumbent Judge Gary Byers, 61, is running for his seventh term, and is challenged by current city councilman Dan Hazard, 44. The Maumee court covers Maumee, Waterville, Whitehouse, Waterville Township, and the portion of Swanton that is in Lucas County.

Sylvania

Voters will decide a 0.8-mill property levy for Sylvania’s Olander Park System that was left off last year’s ballot after park officials missed a deadline.

The tax, if approved, will provide $1,115,123 annually for five years, or about $100,000 more a year than the levy that expired at the end of 2016. The owner of a $100,000 home would have $28 added to their annual tax bill.

Three Sylvania incumbents are running for re-election — Katie Cappellini, 55, Jason Mishka, 38, and Mary Westphal, 60. Mark Clark, 59, and Patrick Richardson, 26, also in the race for three open seats.

The Sylvania School Board has five candidates vying for three seats. Shannon Szyperski, 41, Greg Feller, 41, and Gregory LaManna, 34, are challenging incumbents Julie Hoffman, 49, and Stephen Rothschild, 54.

The Sylvania Municipal Court, which covers the city of Sylvania; the villages of Berkey and Holland; Sylvania, Richfield, Spencer, and Harding townships, and the portions of Swanton, Monclova, and Springfield townships that lie north of the Ohio Turnpike, have five candidates running to replace retiring Judge M. Scott Ramey, who has been on the bench for 30 years. They are Michael Bonfiglio, 62, Daniel Ellis, 60, Chris McGowan, 58, Anthony Spinazze, 46, and John Thebes, 55.

Oregon

There are four candidates seeking to replace two-term Judge Jeffery Keller in Oregon Municipal Court: Republican Anne Brossia, 56, Democrats Louis Kovacs, 57, and Clinton Wasserman, 35, and Scott Winckowski, 53, who is not affiliated with a political party.

A proposed renewal in the Oregon school district is a 2-mill tax for five years.

Rossford

Four Rossford city council seats are on the line, as incumbents Jerry Staczek, 55, and Caroline Zuchowski-Eckel, 45, are running for re-election, against Bob Densic, 50, Christopher Heban, 34, and Jim Richards, 74.

Whitehouse

Village council has five candidates seeking three seats, after Madisyn Curry, 19, dropped out of the race because of an eligibility issue. Incumbents Bill May, 77, Frank Billings, 62, and Louann Artiaga, 62, are running to keep their seats from challengers Richard Bingham, 50, and Katrina Huebner, 35.

Ottawa Hills

In Ottawa Hills, Councilmen Jeffrey Gibbs, 57, and Rex Decker, 67, are running again for their seats, and are challenged by Dana Dunbar, 52, Edward Shimborske III, 47, and Matthew Gargas, 21.

Evergreen Schools

The 0.25-percent income tax on the Evergreen ballot is proposed to renew and reduce an 0.5-percent income tax district voters approved in early 2013.

Providence Township

Providence Township will ask residents to decide on a new 3-mill property tax to pay for construction and repair of roads and bridges. The issue would generate $231,306 annually for five years and cost the owner of a $100,000 home $105 a year.

Monclova Township

A 2.3-mill tax renewal to continue providing money for fire protection services, including paying the salaries of volunteer firefighters, is on the ballot. The five-year levy generates about $1 million annually. It costs the owner of a $100,000 home $67.90 a year.

Township trustees

Jerusalem Township, Monclova Township, Richfield Township, Spencer Township, Springfield Township, Sylvania Township, Washington Township, and Waterville Township all have contested Board of Trustee elections.