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[ PREVIOUS STORIES ]

10-18-03: Voters in Auglaize County will decide on trustees, clerk

By LANCE MIHM
lmihm@dailystandard.com

Auglaize County will see contested races for open trustee spots in Jackson, Noble and St. Marys townships in the Nov. 4 election.
A spot for Salem Township clerk is also being contested.
Incumbent Bob Wilker will square off against Scott Snethkamp for St. Marys Township Trustee.
Wilker, 46, 09451 County Road 66A, New Bremen, has four school-age children with his wife, Jackilyn. He is completing his first four-year term as a trustee. He is a farmer.
Snethkamp, 32, 5933 Washington Pike, lives near St. Marys with his wife Jennifer. He has not served any elected positions. He is a sales marketing representative for the medical industry.
Wilker said that improvements in the township over the last four years have proven him to be an ideal candidate.
“The last four years were challenging and busy,” Wilker said. “We have accomplished a lot of things. We had the new addition to the fire department, we bought a new dump truck and police cruiser, bought a new road mower for the ditches, and we have fixed and maintained much of the 26 miles of roadway in the township.”
Wilker said that maintaining the township’s own police protection is among the issues he would stay focused on. Fixing and maintaining township buildings and equipment and developing the south side of the lake were also on his priority list.
“There are a lot of channels coming off of the lake with all of the development, and I think these will be issues that need addressed,” Wilker said.
Snethkamp said he would like to help the township move forward economically.
“I just want to continue the past success of the township,” Snethkamp said.
Snethkamp said he has talked with several past and present office holders and feels he has grasped what it takes to be a good trustee.
“I want to serve the community by being a representative for all of the township residents, whether it be the unincorporated and rural areas or within the city limits,” Snethkamp said.
Snethkamp said his college background in business and manufacturing has given him the tools for the position.
Vernon Seger, 47, 4936 Bensman Road, Minster, and Carl Albers, 54, 03299 Tri-Township Road, Minster, are squaring off for the lone available position in Jackson Township.
Albers is married and has four children. He is employed at Crown Equipment Corp., New Bremen. He is completing his second term as the incumbent.
It is a little challenging at times, but I have enjoyed the position,” Albers said. “I like serving the needs of the people in the community.”
Albers said that if re-elected, his focuses would include some possible zoning issues that may be coming up and to keep increasing the already outstanding safety standards of the fire department.
Seger, 47, is married and has four children. He is self-employed as a farmer, and also has a farm machinery mechanic business and is a school bus driver.
“All of the trustees we currently have live in the west side of the township,” Seger said. “Some of the people on the east side felt they weren’t getting represented very well. Some of them talked to me and I decided to run.”
Seger said he would like to help protect the agricultural area and preserve farmland, as long as township residents expressed an interest in doing so.
Greg Leffel and John Mueller are running for an open position in Noble Township. Incumbent Steve Schamp, who is not seeking reelection, is running unopposed for the township clerk position.
John Mueller, 58, 03947 Glynwood Road, St. Marys, is married with three children, He is employed at Progress Tool,Minster, and is also a farmer.
Mueller previously served as a township trustee between 1984 and 1992.
“I just want to serve the community,” Mueller said.
Leffel, 42, 15627 Ohio 66, St. Marys, is married and has one child. He is a farmer.
Leffel has served as the maintenance person for the township for the past eight years and also previously had served on the zoning board.
“I just thought this was the next logical step,” Leffel said of running. “I feel I can be of help.”
Pat McMichael and Lori Yahl are both making attempts to hold their first elected public office as clerk in Salem Township.
McMichael, 42, 05683 Ohio 197, Wapakoneta, is married and has four children. She is employed as a radiology transcriptionist.
“I have an interest in the clerical field and what they do,” McMichael said. “I’m familiar with the trustees and it sounded like it was something that would be interesting.”
McMichael felt that her 14 years of experience in the clerical field made her a good candidate.
Lori Yahl, 01811 Salem-Noble Road, St. Marys, is married and has two children. She is employed as a secretary at the United Steelworkers Union Hall in St. Marys.
“I am presently on the zoning board and I just wanted to try something different,” Yahl said. “I ran for the office several years ago to get my name out there, and I felt it was time to try again.”

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