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JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP - A crowded field of candidates is vying for two open seats on the Jefferson Township Board of Trustees in the Nov. 4 general election.
Long-entrenched incumbents Keith G. Houts and Kent Marbaugh argue their decades of experience and procedural knowledge make them the best candidates for the job, while four challengers - Chad Braun, Kyle Gray, Bob McNew and John Woods - insist it's time for a new set of trustees with fresh ideas about governance.
Jefferson Township's board is made up of three trustees, who each serve four-year terms. Houts and Marbaugh are both seeking reelection this year. Trustee Jodie Swaney won't be up for reelection until 2027.
The top two vote-getters on Election Day will win a spot on the board, effective in 2026.
Trustees fulfill many executive responsibilities and are tasked with maintaining township roads, cemeteries and parks and providing for safety services in Jefferson Township, which includes the city of Celina.
The township government consists of the three trustees and one fiscal officer, which are all elected positions.
Braun
Braun, 32, is a machinist and programmer and a Celina High School graduate. He and his wife, Kayla, have two children.
He's never held public office before but noted he previously worked at a farm and has experience with drainage issues. "I work with people on the side doing generators, and I enjoy working with the people and trying to get things right."
Braun said he's running for township trustee because he cares about the community and wants to help shape its future.
"I think it's important to have younger voices in leadership, people who understand things are changing and can help bridge generations," he told The Daily Standard. "I care about making sure the township is a place where everyone feels heard and supported."
Furthermore, Braun said he wants to bring fresh ideas, listen to residents and help make decisions that reflect the needs of both current and future generations.
"I do have a CDL (commercial driver's license), and I've driven truck and plowed snow," he added.
Gray
Gray, 61, said he's self-employed, semi-retired and a Celina High School graduate with some college education. He and his wife, Tonja, have four children.
"I do handyman work around the county, take care of some short-term rentals and I'm a home inspector."
He's never held public office before.
"I worked for Cheryl Ann through the county, run a mowing business out there for them, and I've recently been an East Jefferson zoning inspector," Gray said when asked what experience he has that qualifies him to serve as a township trustee.
Gray said he grew up and has lived in Jefferson Township all his life.
"Ten years ago I had a traumatic experience in my life and was pretty public about it, and this community backed me 100%," he said. "They didn't judge me. They supported me, and I just want to give back and help people out where I can."
Gray said residents deserve answers to questions they pose to township trustees.
"I don't like it when people … the answer's always no - unless there's a really, really good reason why it's no," he said. "These people pay taxes. They deserve to have the help that they need."
Drainage issues at Highland Park and surrounding environs and properties that are blighted or have overgrown grass, weeds and other vegetation are other areas of concern facing the township, he said.
"I would just be honored to hold the position and would guarantee to put my best effort into it. Being a home inspector, I've talked to a lot of the community and they like pepple being able to explain things to them … if something is new to them," he said. "You've got to really break it down and tell the whys and what's going on so they do understand it, and I've had really good luck with that."
Houts
Houts, 67, is a farmer and a Celina High School graduate who completed farm management courses at Purdue University and ag leadership courses at the Ohio State University. He has served as township trustee for 24 years.
He and his wife, Mary Beth, have four children and 15 grandchildren.
"I just want to continue to serve as I have in the past 24 years," he said when asked why he's running for reelection. "I feel like I can provide balance to the decision-making."
Houts said he would continue to focus on maintaining the township's 34 miles of roads and road right-of-ways.
"We've accomplished some road widening and some berm improvements, and that's what we're kind of working on here now," he said. "We most recently have done Hellwarth Road between (State Route) 29 and Mud Pike and we're working with the county on berm improvements and widening of Fleetfoot Road between Mud Pike and Fairground Road this coming year, hopefully."
One of the biggest issues the board is dealing with is an update of the zoning code. East Jefferson Township is the sole township in Mercer County regulated by county zoning laws.
Over 40 years ago, it was the only township that voted to be governed by those laws.
There is currently no zoning in West Jefferson.
"There'll probably be a vote brought to the public. We don't know if it's going to be next year, (but) kind of thinking that it could be," he said. "It would be for the whole township, not just the half township."
Houts also underscored that the board of township trustees is nonpartisan.
"It's a grassroots office and we certainly have been here to listen to the people's concerns," he said. "We don't have a lot of political clout, but we also can do a lot of listening and passing information along, and I've enjoyed working with the public - and I still do."
Marbaugh
Marbaugh, 66, is a self-employed land surveyor and a Celina High School graduate who complete some college courses. He has served the township for 24 years.
Marbaugh has lived in Celina his entire life, and he and his wife, Lisa, have two children.
"We've got some projects to finish up that we've started, and I just feel like I still have a lot to contribute with my knowledge," he said when asked why he's running for reelection.
Marbaugh said he would continue to focus on maintaining the township's 34 miles of roads and road right-of-ways and updating zoning.
"We've got a road-widening project that we need to complete on Fleetfoot Road from Mud Pike to Fairground Road," he pointed out. "We're currently revising the township zoning maps and trying to get that ready to go to the ballot for a vote. They currently only have East Jefferson zoned, and the new zoning is revising that and going to try to add West Jefferson at the same time."
The board also wants to undertake some cemetery restoration work.
The most pressing issue confronting the board is the rising cost asphalt, Marbaugh said.
"A mile of road is costing us $108,000 … to pave, and in 2015, 10 years ago, that was $58,000," he pointed out.
To compensate for the surging asphalt expenses, trustees have increasingly turned toward chip and seal.
"It costs about $20,000 a mile," Marbaugh said. "Then they come back and do a fog seal, they call it, which that really has been kind of nice. … The fog seal kind of knits it all together and helps keep that stone in place."
Because he's self-employed, Marbaugh said he's available 24/7 to meet the needs of the township, whether that be plowing snow, performing road maintenance or attending meetings.
"I've got 42 years total experience, 24 years as the current trustee, and I used to work with the county engineering and highway departments 18 years ago," Marbaugh emphasized. "I've got a lot of experience, and I do have a commercial driver's license, which you have to have to drive our trucks."
McNew
McNew, 61, said he's been in the construction business since the age of 14, starting out in residential and commercial before concentrating on heavy highway road construction/reconstruction and maintenance.
"That's pretty beneficial for being a township trustee. I would think it would be very important knowledge to have," he said.
McNew is a Celina High School graduate, and has two children, three grandchildren and a fiancé, Jill Wendel.
He's running for office to improve communication between the township and the public.
"(Trustees are the) manager for the townships. That's their job, and they're there to help the customers, the taxpayers," he said. "At least get them answers and explanations, even if it's an answer that's not what they want to hear. You're there to help them however you can and manage the money wisely that the township gets, which all of that falls under my construction experience over the years."
The township - and any political office, for that matter - needs change, McNew argued.
"I was having a lot of my neighbors and friends, people come to me with questions about things, and then I'd get them answers from the township and I came to the realization one day that I might as well run for the office and cut the middleman out," he said.
People just want answers and are tired of not getting them - or having to wait months for responses, he said.
"You've got to be dedicated to dealing with and trying to help people out more than I feel is getting done at the this point in time," he said.
He also pledged to meet with constituents to discuss their issues or concerns.
McNew said he would approach the position with a problem-solving mentality.
"My dad, I learned the construction business when I started from him, and that's the No. 1 thing that he taught me: Don't look at it as a problem; you're looking for solutions," he said.
Woods
Woods, 57, is retired. He's a Celina High School graduate and has six children and a longtime girlfriend.
He's never held public office but pointed to experience that he feels qualifies him to serve as a township trustee, including the 30 years he worked as a shift rep at a union shop.
"I'm actually an active trustee out at the Celina Eagles. So I've been doing that for four years," Woods said. "My experience at the Eagles and helping run the business out there, because that's what we do, I feel like I can bring some of those qualities to the township and make sure the right decisions are made for the taxpayers and that money is spent properly."
Woods believes the Jefferson Township Board of Trustees has become complacent.
"I'm actually a fill-in snowplow driver for one of the trustees now, and I've attended some of the meetings and I just feel that as people do jobs over the years, they kind of get into a little lull in what they want to do or what they feel like they need to accomplish," he said. "I feel that some of the trustees are kind of in that lull and they went stagnant. They don't want to do anything, I think, to improve things for people."
Woods said at the meetings he has attended as a fill-in plow driver, he's noticed the same people coming back with the same complaints and issues.
"I just feel that things could be changed for the better to accommodate the taxpayers," he said. "I think the main thing is just to listen to the taxpayers and address some of the complaints."
He also addressed what he feels are important issues in the township.
"I think that there's a lot of new issues with the marijuana laws and the zoning of Jefferson Township being a split township - part zoned, part unzoned," he said. "Issues like that need to be addressed and handled properly, just not try to force things down people's throats. Listen to the people."
