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WARREN -- Some results from the local off-year election in Trumbull County resulted in three outcomes following close races that capped off Tuesday night's vote count.
As final absentee ballots are scheduled to arrive by mail no later than Monday, Patrick Glunt was voted in as Weathersfield Township's fiscal officer over 13-year incumbent Fred Bobovnyk. Dr. Alisha Alls secured a seat on the Warren City School District's Board of Education over John Fowley, who once served as board president; and Jason Tedrow defeated Frederick Hanley, who was seeking his 10th, four-year Hubbard trustee term.
Glunt, winning with 52% of the vote, said change is needed to better the Weathersfield community.
"I'm going to try to do the best I can," Glunt said.
"But before getting to work I have to do some training, and other things through the state."
Glunt added that he has "pretty good relations" with police, fire, EMS and other administrative departments.
Although Glunt has worked with money in the past, he said there is still learning to do. That is why he said he'll be attending seminars, taking classes on ethics, along with other things to prepare himself for his new position.
The new fiscal officer explained that he wasn't necessarily surprised by the result of the race as several people were telling him he was going to win.
"I wasn't taking anything lightly," he said. "I appreciate those who voted for me, know I can do a good job and believe in me to do it."
Glunt said his main reason for running was to bring in more grant money for Weathersfield.
In October, the township resumed bid advertisement for the construction of a multijurisdictional community center near state Route 46, which has been in the township's plans since 2019.
Available funds for the project total $800,000. More than half of those available are through an appropriation from the 2020-21 Ohio capital budget, while $300,000 is from the Appalachian Regional Commission. Administrator David Rouan said the township has asked the Trumbull County commissioners for $250,000 from the American Rescue Plan to help fund the center.
WARREN BOE
Dr. Alisha Alls, who challenged three incumbents for a Warren school board seat, described her first reaction to winning as "oh my goodness" and "shocked."
The two incumbents who regained seats, Patricia Limperos and Julian Walker, received 26% and 24% of the vote, respectively, following Alls' 29%.
"I'm beyond grateful and appreciative to the voters," Alls said. "I'm happy to start. I don't think of it as an upset, never really wanted to upset anyone. I'm just happy to serve the community."
Alls' platform, she said, was driven by her motivation to get parents and students more involved with the board. In addition, she is focused on equitable budgeting and spending, increasing communication in the community and better access to technology.
"Technology is constantly changing and making life better for our students," Alls said.
"I plan on looking into concerns to allow a voice and opportunity to reach out to different capacities. For example with the board, even something as simple as a Google Doc could make communication easier, versus the mandatory sign-up sheet for speaking at meetings."
Alls further explained that she attends neighborhood meetings not only to inquire about education, but "just to see what's going on in the community."
"I live on the northwest end, and we don't always know what's going on on the south side," Alls said.
After attending conferences, such as the Ohio School Boards Association in Columbus, and being sworn in in January, Alls said she is looking forward to working with the schools more closely.
Over the course of her career, in which Alls was a substitute teacher with the district, she became a full-time crochet instructor to 21st Century Learning, and a team mentor for the McGuffey robotics team. She now is a student success coach at Eastern Gateway Community College.
HUBBARD TRUSTEE
In Hubbard, Jason Tedrow said he felt it was time to "give people some change and more options."
"I wasn't 100% surprised. When first results came in, I was pleased because those are typically older voters from people in my region. I figured about 35% would fall there out of the gate, and I knew it was going to be close. And then the extra 2% toward the end really helped. I'm glad I got the support I needed. Thanks to everyone. I'm glad to see they're willing to give me a chance," Tedrow said.
Ten years ago, Tedrow ran for trustee, while Hanley served. He said the voter turnout also made an impact on the win.
"Typically we only have 1,000 township votes," Tedrow said. "That increased almost 70% this year." He received 221 votes in 2013, against three other candidates; this year, 779 so far, as he won with 51%.
Tedrow said he will bring support to his "pretty stagnant" community, as he described it. "Fiscal officer Jennifer Evans, Trustee Bill Coletta, and I come from similar backgrounds," Tedrow said. "So it will be good to support each other."
Some of his goals include an increase in transparency involving the local government, efficiently budgeting and spending tax money and repairing the Coalburg Dam, rather than breaching it.
Specifically, Tedrow mentioned that some Hubbard homes fall within the lower-income household bracket, and that he wants to dig them out.
"Certain neighborhood classification suggests that we have lots of elderly," Tedrow said. "I want to give our community, with over 1,100 homes, more options."
The trustee-elect also said he is intent on working with Trumbull County commissioners to complete the Maplewood Park sanitary sewer project. The total cost for completing the project is estimated at more than $20 million, while $250,000 has been provided through the American Rescue Plan funds from the commissioners.
"The project went from $20 million to $40 million," Tedrow said. "I've kind of been left in the dark about things but I've already reached out to the county."