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BROOKFIELD -- Two candidates are left in the race for a single township trustee seat after a third dropped out, leaving incumbent Shannon Devitz and challenger Tim Gladis.
John Paul Martin declined to list the reason for stepping aside from the race, according to Trumbull County Board of Elections Director Stephanie Penrose. "He just wrote a simple letter that he was withdrawing," she said.
She also said his name still will appear on the ballot despite his dropout. "He dropped out after the deadline, which is why his name is still on the ballot."
The deadline to withdraw is 70 days before the election.
Devitz's term is expiring so she is running for reelection while Gladis is seeking to take her place. Devitz's term is the only one expiring out of the three trustees. Trustees Daniel Suttles and Mark Ferrara will remain in their positions.
SHANNON DEVITZ
Devitz was sworn in Jan. 1 to finish Ron Haun's unexpired term after his move to Florida. She said she believes her experience will help her in the trustee position.
"I've gotten a lot of experience in such a short amount of time, so I know what the job entails and I'm looking forward to building upon what I've started," she said.
"Some of my ideas we've been discussing I would love to see through and breathe a little bit of life into what a trustee is. I feel like I could bring creative ideas or different thought processes."
Devitz said since she is younger than the other trustees, she "can bring things in a different perspective."
"It's hard to prove yourself in 10 months but I'd like to get the community more involved and get younger people more involved," she said.
One of the things Devitz did while she was in office was seek a partnership with VAZA Consulting to seek improvement grants for the township.
"I would love to continue the idea of bringing VAZA back in for infrastructure projects through grants," she said. "We need someone to come in and help us with grants."
Her other two main priorities are to "update township streetlights to LED" and make "transparent and meaningful community investments with ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) money." She said she chose these goals because they are attainable.
"I'm trying to promise things we can actually follow through with," she said. "I think a lot of the time, we have a magical wish list we can't go through with. I think bringing up things we can get done is a better campaign promise."
TIM GLADIS
Gladis has never held the position of an elected official but said he has "served in the public sector for most of his adult life."
Gladis has spent 40 years in law enforcement, including as police chief. He also was a C-suite executive and a senior project manager for "local, state and federal initiatives."
He said he has witnessed the government's work firsthand. "I've been on the forefront of major changes, including changes to Ohio law," he said.
He said his first goal as a trustee would be accountability and transparency because he spoke to people who didn't know how their tax dollars were being spent.
He plans to do this by livestreaming every trustees meeting, department head meeting and special meeting to allow anyone to watch from home as well as keeping meeting minutes up to date on the township's website.
He also wants to hold Talk With a Trustee meetings at churches, restaurants and other public venues.
His second goal is to give people a voice in their local government.
"Many had never met a trustee or department head and didn't know how to contact anyone directly if they had an issue or suggestion to pass along," he said.
Gladis said his address, phone number and email are on Facebook so people can reach out to him with concerns. He said he would be the voice of the people by being a servant.
His final goal is to improve Brookfield neighborhoods. He said he has spoken with companies who deal in scrapping junk cars, and plans to help the code enforcement officer "gain compliance in cleaning properties."
Gladis said all of his goals were based on community needs he discovered by talking to Brookfield residents.
Shannon Devitz
Age: 42
Goals or priorities: Seek grants to improve township infrastructure, parks and neighborhoods; update township streetlights with LEDs; and make transparent, meaningful community investments with American Rescue Plan Act funding.
Previous elected office: Brookfield Township trustee
Tim Gladis
Age: 68
Goals or priorities: Accountability and transparency, give people a voice and improve Brookfield neighborhoods.
Previous elected office: None