The Village of Bellville Council welcomed Shelby Mayor and Richland County Commissioner candidate Marilyn John to their regular meeting Tuesday evening in Bellville.
John addressed the council and said that she had been traveling throughout the county, attending council meetings to better acquaint herself with the needs of the community.
“I’m just here to see the different thing that you are facing as a village,” said John.
John spoke of her plans for the area if elected, “I would first of all like to work on connecting the county. I think that Richland County is a really beautiful place. We are very blessed to live in Richland County, very blessed to be able to serve the residents of Richland County, and I think, as a whole, we can accomplish a lot and make Richland County even a better place to live.”
John discussed a leadership program she instituted in Shelby, LeaderShelby, which was later expanded to other areas and renamed LeaderRichland. The program has since been adopted by Richland Community Development Group (RCDG), though John continues to manage it.
John said that this year, nine schools were participating in LeaderRichland, and that nearly one thousand seventh and eighth grade girls were going to The Ohio State University in May as part of the program.
“I’m really excited about that program. I didn’t know where it would go when we started. It’s blossomed, and we’ve had so many people, including Darrell and the other mayors, participate,” said John.
John went on to say that she would like to see similar programs developed. “They are our future leaders, and I feel like it’s our obligation to do everything we can to help prepare them to take over these positions,” said John, gesturing to the council members. “One of these days, all of you may want to retire and go on to do other things. We are going to need strong leaders to be able to step into those positions.”
Village of Bellville Mayor Darrell Banks thanked John for speaking and commented that he wholly agreed in a united Richland County.
Banks announced that the move to establish a Clear Fork subdistrict of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) has garnered support from many local villages, townships, and groups, including: The Villages of Butler and Lexington; Troy Township; Jefferson Township; the Richland County Township Association; Richland Soil and Water Conservation District; Bellville Neighborhood Outreach Center; Clear Fork School District; as well as the Salvation Army, among others.
Banks noted that the initial engineer service is paid for by the MWCD, until such time that it is decided the benefits of becoming a subdistrict outweigh the costs. At that time, the matter will be turned over to taxpayers for approval.
Other announcements included that for the twenty-eighth year, the Arbor Day Foundation has declared Bellville a “Tree City, U.S.A.”. An Arbor Day celebration will be held at the bandstand on Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m. in which third graders from Bellville Elementary School will perform. A tree will also be dedicated to former mayor Carolynn Studenmund.
Additionally, Banks noted that six participants will be going to the “Tree City, U.S.A.” awards and educational program.
Banks announced that he had nominated Village of Bellville Fiscal Officer Brigette Gatton for a Tribute to Women and Industry (TWIN) award. She was chosen as one of the winners, he noted, and she will be honored at a banquet on May 15 at the Mid Ohio Conference Center in Mansfield.
The next Bellville Council meeting will be held on May 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Bellville Police Department located at 320 Bell Street.
“I think, as a whole, we can accomplish a lot and make Richland County even a better place to live,” said Marilyn John.
