BY JANEA JOACHIM

Polling locations will be open for voters of the city of Wadsworth on November 2 to elect city council representatives. All positions will be up for election. There are three candidates who have not run for office before: Daniel Rospert for Council At-Large, Joy Martin for Ward 1 and Michael Reese for Ward 4. The other ten candidates are incumbents of their respective positions.

The positions of Treasurer, Ward 2 City Councilperson and President of City Council are all running unopposed.

To see which ward you live in, check out the City of Wadsworth’s Ward Map.

COUNCIL AT-LARGE CANDIDATES

Patricia Haskins

Democrat Patricia Haskins is an incumbent of the position, having held it for ten years. Prior to her service as a member of city council, Haskins was a teacher at WHS for 30 years. Upon her retirement, she was encouraged to run and was elected in 2011. Among many others goals, Haskins hopes the new fire station, the roundabout, downtown area and southwest parking lot projects will be viable during her term, if elected.
“As a member of council, I can try to give back to this community what it has done for me,” Haskins said.

Tom Stugmyer

Republican Tom Stugmyer has been on Council At-Large since May 2016 when he filled the vacant seat of Bob Thurber who moved up to become council president after the passing of Tom Palecek. He was already involved with Main Street’s Chamber of Commerce and felt as if knew about the workings of the city and wanted to make an impact. Stugmyer is passionate about maintaining not only the growth, but also the stability of Wadsworth’s economy.
“The economic aspect has always been important to me,” Stugmyer said.

David Williams

Republican David L. Williams has served eight years on Council At-Large. He has served on both the public development and public ways committees and started the parks committee after noticing that the parks need work. One of his main priorities if elected would be to plan the future of Wadsworth’s park system.
“I listen to the people, and I will continue to do that. Communication is one of the greatest things we need to do,” Williams said.

Daniel Rospert

Republican Daniel Rospert has never held public office before and is running in hopes that the city’s administration will have better communication with the residents and businesses about projects downtown. He feels as if the voices of the people are not always heard or accepted, and this is something he wishes to change. He would moderate between administration and employees to ensure that the employees are being heard.
“Communication is a huge thing for me,” Rospert said. “I want to continue serving and doing the best I can for everybody.”

WARD ONE CANIDATES

Ralph Copley

Republican Ralph Copley has been the Ward 1 councilman since 2013 and is running against Democrat Joy Martin for the position this year. Copley worked for Wadsworth Fire Department for 30 years and says he loves Wadsworth. Having a councilman that understands budgeting and represents the people is important to him. He wants to be a steward of the tax dollars and the spending of such.
“If it’s important to you, it’s important to me,” Copley said.

Joy Martin

Democrat Joy Martin has lived in Wadsworth for 16 years and never held public office before. She feels she can bring diversity to a council full of males, Republicans and the older generation. Martin cares about bringing leadership to the council and bringing the constituents together.
“I’m not doing this for myself, I’m doing this for the community that’s asked me to run,” Martin said.

WARD THREE CANIDATES

Jeanne Hines

Republican Jeanne Hines is an incumbent of the position, finishing up her second year. She originally ran for council because of her love for Wadsworth that was cultivated when she grew up here. It is important to her to be aware and careful with how the taxpayers money is spent. She recognizes the importance of addressing problems that may seem simple (like tree placement or sidewalk blocks).
“I want to help the people not just in my ward but throughout the city,” Hines said.

Justin Terrill

Democrat Justin Terrill has never run for public office before. He decided to run because of his desire for involvement and city service. If elected, he wants to support the city’s growth and ensure that the voices of Ward 3 residents are heard.
“As the community continues to grow, we need to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to be heard and represented,” Terrill said.

WARD FOUR CANIDATES

Bruce Darlington

Republican Bruce Darlington has held the position of Ward 4 Councilman for 18 years. When Renacci ran for mayor, he asked Darlington to run. Finishing the new fire station, fixing the southwest parking lot, adding a roundabout at 57 in Seville, and financing the downtown remodel are all important projects to him if he is re-elected.
“I like serving the citizens of Wadsworth,” Darlington said. “You have an impact on whats going on in the future.”

Michael Reese

Democrat Michael Reese will be running for office for the first time in November. He has lived in Wadsworth for almost eight years and is passionate about going out in the town. He hopes to connect with young people.
“I just want to make the town better,” Reese said.

UPDATE 10/18/21 : In a previous version of this story it was mistakenly noted that Ralph Copley worked for the Wadsworth Police Department, but he actually worked for the Wadsworth Fire Department and served as its chief.