GALION, Ohio — Two candidates are running for Galion’s open treasurer’s seat while treasurer Paula Durbin seeks an at-large seat on Galion city council. Here’s a closer look at the two candidates vying for the position:
William Comerford
Comerford, a Galion resident since 2003, said he is ready to become more involved with the community by assuming the treasurer’s role. He said flexibility in his career has allowed him to consider the new role.
“I’m a store manager with Rite Aid and I’ve been in management with Rite Aid for a total of 12 years,” he said. “I graduated from the University of Toledo with a bachelor’s in Business Administration & Finance.
“I feel that my education and my work experience gives me a good ability to be able to be a good treasurer for the city of Galion.”
Comerford recently joined the city’s new audit committee. He professes a desire to be absorbed in the city’s daily matters.
“Basically what it (audit committee) does is take the city’s quarterly budget and tries to review it, see if there’s any discrepancies, whether we’ll be over or under budget,” Comerford said.
Comerford said one of his strengths is managing expenses within the Rite Aid stores. He also said he has an ability to work well with others.
“I just want to take a role in the community and I feel that this fits my skillset the best,” he said.
Rodney Sparks
Sparks was born and raised in Galion — he worked most of his life in the community. His experience ranges from being chief executive officer for Credit Union before it merged with Firelands, a term on city council and treasurer for Kiwanis.
He also noted his involvement with the Galion-Crestline Area Chamber of Commerce and forming the Galion Area Parents Club, which raised money for improvements at Heise Park.
“I’m the most qualified candidate — I’m overqualified for the position,” Sparks said. “I think we have a lot of good people in Galion. Moving forward, I think we need to make the good decisions, the right decisions and the best decisions. I think that’s what we need to focus on.”
With a finance degree from The Ohio State University and work experience, Sparks said he believes he is the best candidate for Galion. But he said either choice would be good for Galion.
“If either one of us wins it’s going to be a good thing,” said Sparks, who works for Time Warner as a sales representative.
