Three seek two JC council seats

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JACKSON CENTER — Three Jackson Center residents are vying for two seats on Jackson cEnter Village Council. Karen Woodruff, Wayne York and Ken Gloyeske will face off in the general election slated for Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. This is York’s first run at the position while Woodruff and Gloyeske are both currently serving on JC council.

Woodruff,76, was born near Maplewood, Ohio. A lifelong Shelby County resident, she attended and graduated from Jackson Center Schools. Woodruff obtained certification from Capitol School of Cosmetology in Columbus, Ohio, and worked at Dee’s Beauty Shop in Jackson Center for six years. She also provided child-care at her home for 23 years and was employed at Jackson Center Pro Hardware for 18 years. She and Tom, her husband of 55 years, are the parents of two children, Brian (deceased) and Steven. Woodruff is now retired and spends her time serving on council and enjoying life with her husband, family, friends, and local community.

Gloyeske, 63, has lived in Jackson Center since 1985. He and his wife originally located there because it was half way between their respective work places. He and his wife, Barb, have been married for 34 years. They have three children and three grandchildren. Gloyeske has been a veterinarian with Tri-County Veterinarian Service for 41 years and has served on Jackson Center council for over 20 years. His hobbies include gardening, landscaping, and building furniture with his wife.

York, 68, was born near Versailles, Ohio, and attended school there. After high school he attended General Motors Institute, Flint, Michigan, studied mechanical engineering then switched to business administration at Wright State University, Celina, and began working in the Celina City Engineering Department. At age 22, he was hired as village administrator in New Bremen and later worked for the city of Wapakoneta engineering department. In 1984 he became the Director of Public Service and Safety in Wapakoneta, in charge of the police, fire, electric, water, sewer and street departments and held that post for five years. In late 1989, he was recruited to manage the Apex Bag packaging company in Wapakoneta. He was in the insurance business in Wapak for several years, and later served as village administrator for both Botkins and Anna and retired in 2018. He and Marianne, his wife of 43 years, moved to Jackson Center in late 2017. They have three adult children and seven grandchildren.

Following are responses to questions posed to each candidate concerning their desire and qualifications to fill a council seat.

Why do you want to be a Jackson Center Village Council member, and what do you hope to accomplish?

Woodruff: “I would like to continue the growth of our village in all areas; whether industrial, residential or commercial. We have accomplished a lot, but growth brings change and we must continue to plan ahead to meet the needs of our community; for instance we need a grocery store among other things. It’s been nice to see Airstream grow and I look forward to seeing a lot of other current projects completed, we had a great year and I’m certain there will be many more to come.”

York: “Forty years-plus of coming to Jackson Center at least once a week or more, has created a high level of interest in what goes one here. Marianne and I moved here in November 2017 to her home place, the Richard and Marcille Sailor residence at 511 N. Main St.. We want to see the community continue to grow and prosper.”

Gloyeske: “As a council member in Jackson Center for 20 years I have seen many good things happen. The Airstream expansion, and many upgrades in our infrastructure; water, sewage and electric. Development of our new park on the south-side of the village, and new industry locating in the village as well as industrial expansion and commercial development. My hope if re-elected is to see these projects and new projects such as our swimming pool to completion.”

What made you decide that now is the time to seek this position?

York: “Now is the time. From the time when I was in high school at Versailles, I have always had a keen interest in civics, history and community affairs. I retired in 2018 so now have some time to devote to the village. Plus I have always found that all levels of government are interesting.”

Gloyeske: “As an incumbent council member I have seen many good things happen in Jackson Center. I enjoy the council meetings and knowing the ins and outs of where I live. I want to continue to be a good ambassador for Jackson Center.”

Woodruff: “I am a 10-year veteran on council serving on various committees; it has been a pleasure and privilege to have served our community this long and I hope to continue. I’m hoping to see more progress like the construction of our solar field, new housing additions, and the Airstream factory expansion just to name a few.”

For both the present and the future, what do you deem the greatest challenges for the leadership of the Village of Jackson Center?

Gloyeske: “Our greatest challenge is to be responsive to our industries. We are blessed in Jackson Center to have a wide variety of industry and an excellent tax base. Other challenges are to keep our water, sewer, and electrical systems compliant with EPA standards, as well as keeping our utility rates competitive. A final challenge is to retain the great employees the village has. The wealth of knowledge and experience of our village employees is an asset we must preserve.”

Woodruff: “To provide continued public support for our plans and finding ways to instill pride in property in our residents such as trash removal and landscape maintenance. We also need to recognize that growth and changes often bring new challenges and we must plan ahead to meet those challenges before they become an issue; my hope is to help our town to grow but maintain its home-town appeal.”

York: “The greatest challenges for Jackson Center will continue to be to retain and grow the existing businesses we have and possibly help grow their ranks. All of the good side-benefits comes from economic activity. A Municipal electric system is a big asset to any community that has one. I have seen first-hand the disadvantages that a community finds itself in when it doesn’t have one.”

What qualifies you to seek this position and what specific goals do you have in mind to fulfill your obligations?

Woodruff: “I feel that 10 years of council experience and a genuine love for our community qualifies me to continue serving. We have a great town here with excellent schools, churches, a food bank, and a thriving industrial base. My goal is to stay in touch with our residents and find new ways to improve on an already great situation.”

York: “My primary qualification would be my 30-plus years in municipal government in Ohio. I held engineering and zoning positions in Celina and Wapakoneta and city or village administrator positions in Wapak, New Bremen and Anna. In addition, I managed a private sector packaging business for 10 years, so not all of my experience is restricted to the public sector. Specific goals are to stay tuned to economic development efforts and the municipal electric business.”

Gloyeske: “I have lived in Jackson Center since 1985. I have been on the village council for over 20 years. As a council we have many long term goals. I think with one more term I will see most of these goals completed.”

What do you think are the top three qualities a person seeking this office should possess?

York: “My top qualities would be knowledge, experience, a steady hand and concern for the future of Jackson Center.”

Gloyeske: “The top three qualities are; you must have an interest in the success of where you live and raise your family, you must be dedicated, attend all council and committee meetings, and you must be flexible and understand that change especially in government is a slow process.”

Woodruff: “I think you must be a good listener, you have to be willing to listen to citizens’ concerns and bring those concerns to council; I have genuine respect for the concerns of each and every resident and I honestly care about what they have to say. I look forward to going to council meetings and feel faithful attendance is another very important quality in keeping up with what’s going on; you have to go to the committee and council meetings to know what’s going on so attendance is very important. Lastly I think you have to love your town to keep its best interests at heart; I have lived here for 55 years, I love Jackson Center and it’s been very rewarding to see us grow at a comfortable rate.”

https://www.sidneydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2019/10/election-logo_2019-november_horiz-1.pdf

Ken Gloyeske, left to right, Karen Woodruff and Wayne York are running for Jackson Center Village Council. There are two seats available in the November General Election.
https://www.sidneydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2019/10/web1_JC-Council.jpgKen Gloyeske, left to right, Karen Woodruff and Wayne York are running for Jackson Center Village Council. There are two seats available in the November General Election.

By Matt Clayton

For the Sidney Daily News

The writer is a regular contributor to the Sidney Daily News.

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