MADISON TOWNSHIP — Four candidates have filed to run for a Madison Township Trustee seat currently held by Catherine Swank, who is seeking reelection.
The four names on the ballot will be Chris Adams, Clifford “Jack” Collins, Daniel Fletcher and Swank.
The candidates participated in a “Meet the Candidates” night led by former trustee Miles Hoehn on Oct. 16.
Each of the four indicated they would support putting a levy on the ballot to support the township fire or road department within a few years. The four also discussed their qualifications, views on the township’s roads and more.
Chris Adams
Chris Adams, a Lorain County native, has lived in Madison Township for 13 years. He moved to Richland County for a job at Richland Correctional Institution.
“I’m not from here, I don’t have any enemies,” Adams said. “I’m not partisan one way or another. If you ask me something, I’ll look into it and see what can be done.”
The 62-year-old said he was inspired to run for trustee by listening to his neighbors.
“Some people who signed my petition said they’re looking for a new perspective,” he said. “I worked under the Ohio Revised Code in my 31 years in law enforcement, so I’m familiar with some of those guidelines.”
Adams said he also has some experience with finances through his work in union negotiations and equipment purchases as a law enforcement officer. He is now retired.
“I have been in a position throughout my life to supervise, get things done, look after everything,” he said. “I’m the one that comes early and stays late. I’ll do the same thing for the township if I’m elected.”
Adams said one of his goals if he’s elected is to start community clean-up programs that could partner with schools or possibly supervised inmates.
“I think we could start programs where you can get community service hours if you pick up trash from neighborhoods,” he said. “The community is clean, the students get community service hours and everybody wins.”
When Hoehn asked the candidates how they think the township should handle road repairs, Adams said he would like main roads to be paved and residential roads to be chip-sealed.
“You can’t tell one street they can get paved and the others get chip-sealed, that’s just not fair practice,” he said.
“I did participate with an ODOT work crew in my younger days, and if you chip-and-seal early enough in the season, it does not come up when you’re running plow trucks on it if it gets seeded good.”
Clifford ‘Jack’ Collins
Jack Collins, 62, is a Mansfield Senior High School graduate who has lived in Madison Township most of his life.
“I’m running because I share a lot of the same concerns as other people in the township,” he said. “A lot of us are concerned about road maintenance and neglected properties, and I’ve heard that coming to these meetings for about a year.
“I’d like to look into increasing the staff at the road department or looking into some grants.”
Collins is a retired Army veteran and former supervisor at Taylor Metal Products. He said he has a commercial driver’s license so could operate a plow truck if the township needed help.
“I’ll listen to people and see what they’ve got to say and try to help them the best I can,” he said. “I’ve lived in this township all my life and I thought maybe I could get in here and help out.”
Collins said his priority if elected to the trustee seat is to bring more businesses to Madison Township.
“Maybe people will want to move back to the township if we clean it up and get some more business back here,” he said.
“I’m new to this, but willing to give it my all. I will give you 100% if I am elected to work for the township. I’ll do whatever I have to do to make it better.”
Daniel Fletcher
Dan Fletcher was a township trustee from 2012 to 2021. During that time, he also served on the Richland County Township Association executive board and Richland County Regional Planning committee.
“I feel like I’m built to be a public servant,” Fletcher said. “I enjoyed it for many years and secured over $1.1 million in grants to improve our infrastructure during my terms.”
Fletcher, 66, is a self-employed bricklayer. He has lived in Madison Township for 50 years and graduated from Madison High School.
“You know how to spend your money and budget if you have 35 years of successful self-employment,” he said.
If he is elected, Fletcher said one of his goals would be to work with Richland County Regional Planning and the Ohio Department of Transportation to improve traffic signals in the township.
“A left turn lane on Route 430 and Stewart Road is quite a safety issue,” he said. “And I think we should also have a left turn arrow at McElroy and Ashland Road. We’ve got to work on safe routes to school.”
Fletcher said he also wants to work on stormwater drainage issues, particularly in the Roseland area. He wants to ensure the township is in good financial standing.
“When I was appointed in 2012, with the two other people here and our fiscal officer, we walked into a real mess financially,” he said. “With some sound planning, we got it back to our budget lasting through 2025, so I would work to extend that financial planning.
The former trustee also said he knows many county officials and leaders that could help the township if they needed it.
“Obviously, I want to help my community, but we might need help from people higher up, and that’s where the network comes in,” he said. “If I don’t know the answer, I’m not afraid to ask someone I know.”
Catherine Swank
Cathy Swank, a former Madison teacher and paramedic, last served as trustee from 2000-2007. She was elected to her current term in 2019.
“I’ve focused on a lot of things you don’t hear about too much, the legal work, preparation for union negotiations, and there’s still more to be done,” the 74-year-old said. “I want to continue serving my community.”
Also a Madison graduate, Swank said the township likely needs a new levy to support the road department, “or we could put a replacement there and ask for more millage.”
“It could take 30 years to get all the roads in Madison Township paved with our road and bridge fund budget,” she said.
The trustee said she is proud of replacing some equipment for the road and fire departments in the past few years with help from American Rescue Plan Act funds.
“We also hired a wonderful new zoning inspector who has been working diligently on complaints and enforcement,” Swank said.
Swank is a past president of the Madison Local Educators Association and said she has sat on both sides of union negotiations.
“It all comes back to dealing with people’s complaints and giving them a listening ear,” she said. “Sometimes, whatever the issue is, our hands are tied because of Ohio Revised Code, but we can listen to people and hopefully direct them somewhere where they might be helped.”
Madison Township trustees will be paid $15,104 in 2024. Salaries will increase annually at 1.75% through 2028.
Leana Rhodes has also filed unopposed for the position of township fiscal officer. The term will commence April 1, 2024 and end March 31, 2028.
Read more 2023 Richland Source election preview stories at this link.
