ROSS TOWNSHIP — Three members of the community are facing off to fill two open Ross Township Trustee seats in the November election.
Incumbent James Spahr is joined on the ballot by David Boeck and Mark Campbell.
Spahr said that he has enjoyed his position as trustee, which made him re-run. He has been a lifelong community member in Ross Township. Along with his current position he has also been a self-employed farmer for the last 45 years.
He said there are several things he would like to see accomplished if re-elected.
“I would like to keep track of our zoning issues in the township,” Spahr said. “Also make sure that our fire and EMS are taken care of in a good way. We’re doing really well with that at this time and want it to continue.”
Boeck feels that after more than 50 years in the community, serving as a trustee would be a good way to give back to the community. He decided to run after a long-time trustee retired.
He said his current job of 23 years as a regional manager for Brechbuhler Scales has equipped him with skills that will help him succeed as a trustee. Boeck said his transition from civilian to trustee will be a smooth process, since he’s been attending trustee meetings for years.
One of his main focuses if elected will be the broadband and the road infrastructure.
“Our residents need reliable internet to run businesses from their homes,” Spahr said. “We also have a limited amount of money for road repairs, and we have a lot of roads that need a lot of repairs it exceeds what our budget is. We need to be aggressive going after grants to help fund this.”
Campbell wants new leadership in the township. He said he’s ready to bring his dedication and youthfulness to his community.
A major issue he wants to resolve is the power outages occurring.
“We been experiencing a lot of power outages for no reason at all,” he said. “One of my main goals is to work with AES/DPL to try and get the bugs worked out, because whatever is going on has been going on for several months now.”
He also hopes to incorporate more community events to have people come together more than they are now.
If elected, Campbell said he plans on exploring options of developing a website for residents to be able to explore different options available in the township for everyone.
The management skills he developed while working at a third generation farm and Bobcat of Dayton, are what he feels will assist him in succeeding as a trustee.