Feagin appointed to Ontario City Council:
Interim repairs expected to start soon on cattle dam:
Florencia Cleofe Smith:
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Today – Last week, Rose Feagin was appointed to fill a vacant Ontario City Council seat.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said that everybody can be great because anybody can serve. Rose Feagin shared those words of wisdom from the podium Friday evening, just moments after being appointed the newest member of Ontario City Council. Feagin was chosen by fellow members of the Richland County Democratic Party to fill the seat of former council member Michelle Webb, who resigned in September. Feagin said she thought it was important to be able to step up. She believes that it’s important to give back and to serve. She also feels like all of us have a civic responsibility to make our communities better.
Nathan Sunderland and Sharon May, both Ontario residents and members of the Richland County Democratic Party’s Central Committee, voted in favor of Feagin’s appointment. Sunderland, who serves as Ontario’s first ward council member, said he was looking forward to working with her on council. And he had some kind words for the woman she’s replacing as well – saying it was nice to work for several years alongside Michelle Webb; she was not only a great council member but also a great friend. Sunderland said he’s excited and optimistic to see what Rose Feagin will bring to the table. He thinks she will be a great fit for our community. Feagin has lived in Ontario on and off for about eight years. She said her first priority as a council member is simply to get acclimated.
She noted that she doesn’t want to make any grand promises or start out with too many grand projects but just learn the process and be as good at it as possible. She’s very optimistic about the future of Ontario and said there’s so much opportunity for so many great things. Feagin is a graduate of Mansfield Senior High School. She has an associate degree in arts and sciences from Ohio University and has studied at Wilberforce University, Ashland University and Ashland Theological Seminary.
She was trained in journalism at the Reader Inc. Editorial Training Center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and spent seven years as a reporter for the Mansfield News Journal. Now she works with us at Richland Source as a Thrive correspondent. Feagin has also worked as a tax preparer for H&R Block. And for a while, she sold property and casualty and life and health insurance. She has also studied real estate. She jokes that she’s a Jill of all Trades!
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Next, some local history… Did you know that Ashland was originally called Uniontown? Founded in 1815, it had the unusual experience of having the exact same name as…. another town in Ohio. But in 1822, the town elected to change its name to Ashland after supporters of Kentucky congressman Henry Clay decided that Clay’s family home, Ashland, would serve as a fitting tribute.
For more history and pictures of Ashland, head over to Ashlandsource.com.
Next, from Knox Pages… Interim risk reduction measures for the Knox Cattle Company Dam on Yauger Road could get underway in the next few weeks. Stephen Samuels, outside counsel for the City of Mount Vernon, said in a telephone pre-trial conference on Friday that he expects the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to distribute a plan early this week detailing what those measures are. The conference, initiated by Common Pleas Judge Richard Wetzel, was to determine ownership of the dam so that ODNR can bring the dam into health and safety compliance.
While details need to be agreed upon, Wetzel will hold a non-oral hearing 10 days after ODNR files the motion. Barring any major objections and provided that Waters Edge grants access across its property, Wetzel will grant the motion and work will get underway. For more on this story and additional information about proposed remedies, head over to knoxpages.com
Finally, we’d like to take a moment to remember Florencia Cleofe Smith, of Mansfield. Born in Santo Tomas in the Philippines, she was a graduate of Ashland University with a BS in Nursing. A very hard worker, she was employed by OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital and attended St. Peter’s Catholic Church. Florencia loved to cook, clean, shop, sing music and she also had a black belt in Karate. She loved her family dearly and will be deeply missed.
She is survived by her husband, Neil, her three children, two grandchildren, a sister, and her dogs, Beanie and Maddie. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her dog, Sophie. Thank you for taking a moment with us today to remember and celebrate Florencia’s life.
