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CELINA - The composition of Celina City Council is poised for a major shakeup as three councilors, all Republicans, opted not to file for reelection this year, and four of five council races are contested in the Nov. 4 general election.
Ward 1 councilor Myron Buxton, Ward 2 councilor Eric Baltzell and Ward 3 councilor Mark Fleck each declined to seek another four-year term on city council. Others, however, are waiting in the wings to claim the seats.
Democrat Bill Sell, a former city council president, and Republican Stephen Schulte are vying for the Ward 1 seat, Democrat Erica Lusk is in a showdown with Republican Chris Doseck for the Ward 3 seat, and Kyle Bruce is running as an independent against incumbent councilor Eric Clausen, a Republican, for the Ward 4 seat.
Republican Jeremy Uhlenhake is running uncontested for the Ward 2 seat.
Council President Jason King, a Republican, is facing Democratic challenger Sophia Rodriguez, who served as council president for two years a little short of two decades ago.
The Daily Standard will preview the Ward 3 and Ward 4 races in the Oct. 11 edition.
King
King, 51, is in his 16th year as city council president. He earned his bachelor's degree in secondary education from Bowling Green State University and taught math for seven years before settling in at New Life Christian Center, Celina, where he has served as a pastor since 2003.
King and his wife, Joe'l, have four children.
"I just really love our community. I was born and raised in Celina. I love Celina and what Celina represents, and I feel like I do a good job of representing the voices of the people," King said. "Even though I don't have a voting voice except in tiebreakers, I still feel that being part of city council and having the tie-in with administration is a very important role and an influential role as well."
In addition to his time on council, King said he's gained leadership experience through his role as administrative director for Apostolic Team Ministries, an apostolic resource center of churches, ministries and leaders across the Midwest and beyond.
"I love the conservative values of the area that we live in and want to keep supporting that," he stressed. "I just feel like there's still some things that I've been a part of and want to see through. We've had a really good streets program going for a number of years now, and I feel that we're getting a lot of our streets repaved and reconstructed, and I've been a big supporter of that."
King also pointed to the expansion and enhancement of city parks as another positive development under his watch.
"Everything down by the lake, it's turned into just a really beautiful spectacle for our community, and it's been a real big draw for others as our town really tends to be a bit more of a tourist town in the summertime and I love seeing that," he added.
King said he doesn't have any specific policies or initiatives he would pursue if granted another term, other than the furtherance of infrastructure improvements and the removal of blight.
The most important issue facing city council is maintaining robust police and fire departments and furnishing them with the equipment they need to get the job done right, King said, calling himself a big advocate for first responders.
"We're trying to get the staffing levels back to where they were and I think we're finally getting there. We've got a great cadet program going and we've got some new young blood in both departments. It's exciting to finally see that," King said. "But I think one of the challenges that we're going to have moving forward is just seeing how we can get by on (income tax revenue), just taking care of the things that need to be taken care of in our city. It just seems like the costs continue to rise at a rate that the city's income does not."
Rodriguez
Rodriguez, 58, enjoyed a 33-year-career as an educator and is also the co-manager of Casa Rodriguez in Celina. She earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish from Ohio University and a master's degree in educational leadership from Wright State University.
She has served on the Mercer County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Ohio Education Association Board of Directors and the National Education Association Board of Directors, and also has been president of the Western Ohio Education Association, president of the Coldwater Teachers' Organization, chair of the Ohio Education Association Hispanic Caucus, and president of Celina City Council.
Rodriguez was appointed council president in January 2008 by the Celina Central Committee of the Mercer County Democrats, after former President Bill Sell was elected to an at-large seat.
Asked why she's running for council president, Rodriguez said she's lived in Celina all her life aside from her college years and has attended many city council meetings.
"And I don't see anybody like me, I don't see any women, I don't see any minorities, I don't see anybody that has a point of view like me that is passionate about safety for our community," she said.
Rodriguez was asked if she would pursue any specific policies or initiatives if elected council president.
"As the president of Celina City Council, it is not your responsibility to write or create policy. You are running the meetings," she said. "Now, certainly you can influence policy or you can suggest, but you are not the person that is supposed to be doing that."
Council members, she continued, should craft policies and legislation that are positively impacting the people they serve.
For instance, Casa Rodriguez and other businesses have a huge issue with people dumping trash in their disposal units, which constitutes theft of service and a heavy financial burden, Rodriguez said.
"How do we as a city, how do we tackle that? And that's where we need council members to come together and also the city (safety services) director, and say, 'How do we do this? How do we help you?'" Rodriguez said. "And I think that as a city council member, that is part of our responsibility to ask our community members, to ask our small businesses, how do we help you? Because if you're successful, then the city is successful, and we need to set them up for success."
Funding needs to be improved for the fire and police departments and the city needs to implement an open door policy that fosters a sense of transparency, she said.
Moreover, there needs be a better focus on the municipality, Rodriguez insisted.
"I believe the city council needs to focus on city issues. We have a lot of personal belief systems. Don't let that eat up our time. Don't let those issues distract us from our responsibilities to move our community forward, to keep our community safe," she said. "We need as a council, I think, to refocus our responsibilities toward the community of Celina versus personal belief systems. We all have different political, personal belief systems. That's a given. But the one thing that we should focus on is what we have in common, and that is this community."
Rodriguez said she's talked to some community members who don't feel welcome in Celina.
"I think we need to change that, I think we need to talk about that. I want us to build solutions for problems. That's what's important," she said. "Our focus should not include where you come from, what your political belief is, what your religious belief is, what your race (is), what your sexual preference (is). That shouldn't matter because you are a part of this community and everyone needs to feel welcome."
Schulte
Schulte, 62, was in the banking and finance industry for nearly 30 years before retiring in 2024. He earned a bachelor's degree in business management from Wright State University, a master's degree in organizational management and an MBA from Bluffton University.
He has a wife, Caprice. Stephen has two children, and Caprice has seven children.
Though he has never held public office before, Schulte ran the Mercer County Fairgrounds for five years and held leadership roles in several local organizations and civic groups, including Coldwater Kiwanis Club, Coldwater Chamber of Commerce, Mercer County Elks, Coldwater Athletic Boosters, Coldwater Lions Club, Celina-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Development Center Advisory Committee, Economic Development Focus Group, Celina Rotary Club and Knights of Columbus.
"I've been involved with all the clubs … so a lot of experience in parliamentary procedure and service organizations in general," he said. "Because of my recent retirement a year ago, it gives me an opportunity to allow me the time that I think that I'm going to need to learn that position and get good at that position."
Schulte said he's running because he believes his business and financial acumen can help further shape the city's progress.
"Because of my business sense and my track record of leadership and experience and financial responsibility, my hope is I can continue to help the city grow," he said. "I like the idea of the continuation of improving the streets and the infrastructure. I think the city needs to continue with their strong financial health. I think I can provide some reliable (assistance) with the utility services and overseeing solid business growth to help enhance hopefully the quality of life and continue to build a bright future."
Asked if he would pursue any specific polices or initiatives if elected, Schulte said he would like to add to the momentum of the downtown revitalization and overall growth in the city.
"I like driving down Main Street not seeing any empty businesses, though certainly that continuation is going to be one of my focuses. I've enjoyed seeing the improvement of the streets and the infrastructure," he said. "Obviously the financial health … I hope I can help them in those areas."
He said he's a backer of Celina City Schools, which directly contribute to the community's growth, and understands the essential role agriculture plays in the local economy.
"Working out at the county fairgrounds for five years, I think that the agricultural growth within the county is important and it seems like when the agricultural area does well, the city and the county also does well," he said. "
The most important issue facing city council going forward is one of culture, Schulte said.
"There seems to be a large divide with the conservative values and the conservative culture, I sense, within the city of Celina," he said. "Because of how long that I've been within the city, I feel like it's been built on conservative values and a conservative basis. My hope is I would like to see that continue moving forward."
Sell
Sell, 70, is a retired Celina City Schools teacher who taught American government, AP government and Civil War history for 35 years and coached for 45 years. He earned a bachelor's degree in education from Ohio University and a master's degree in education from the University of Dayton.
He and his wife, Margie, have four children and five grandchildren.
Sell served on Celina City Council from 1998 to 2015. He picked up a seat on Celina City Schools Board of Education in November 2015 and served in that capacity through the end of 2023. He also became a charter member of the Grand Lake Rotary Club and is currently vice president of the Mercer County Historical Society.
He's also a volunteer with M.A.V. Youth Mentoring, which formerly operated as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer, Auglaize and Van Wert Counties.
"I just feel that there's a need for a guy with some experience to get back on there," Sell said about his decision to run for city council. "And when I first filed back in February, there were two issues that had me concerned. They still do to a great degree."
The first concern is related to the turnover of police officers and firefighters during more trying times.
"That is a reason for concern that I think any taxpayer or inhabitant of the city of Celina would be legitimate in asking the question 'Why?'" Sell said. "I'm not laying blame, I'm not accusing anybody. I would just like to find out the answer to that question."
He also took aim at the city council's Oct. 28, 2024, rejection of an ordinance to rezone a 1-acre property from manufacturing to community shopping, preventing Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health from building an urgent care center at 1800 Industrial Drive.
"I'm very happy with the medical care I've received from Mercer Health, but in a capitalist society, especially when we're dealing with health care, competition is always good," Sell said. "It lowers prices, it raises quality. That's how it's supposed to work. That's how it does work, so I would like to find out why Mercy Health was denied and how we get more health care providers in the county or the city."
If elected, Sell said there's no specific policy or initiative he would pursue with any urgency at the moment.
"I am very pleased with the progress we're making with infrastructure and streets, and when we do it, it's done right," Sell said. "All the lines - water lines, gas lines, electric under the streets - are done. Our parks are beautiful."
Sell said although it may sound idealistic, he believes Celina is a great community.
"I want to keep it that way. I want to make Celina a better place for my kids and grandkids, but being the first one to say that I'm happy with the place where I live. I love the city of Celina," he said.
Asked about the most important issue facing city council at the moment, Sell once again drew his attention to first responders.
"We have to make sure that we represent our constituents fairly, that everybody that lives in the city of Celina is represented, and we have to make sure that any policies in that regard are also somehow distributed or enforced in a fair and an equitable manner," he said. "It's easy to say we live in a society where fortunately everything is equal, but we have to strive to make sure that that equality exists."
