6 candidates compete for 4 council seats in South Vienna
Some of the hopefuls lay out their positions as Election Day nears.
In the village of South Vienna, six people are competing for four open council seats, including three incumbents.
Village Council members Roger Davis, Rhonda Sagraves and John Schmid are seeking reelection. They will be joined on Tuesday’s ballot by Brian Sagraves, Charles Miller and Brad Roe.
Candidates were asked to complete a questionnaire submitted by the Springfield News-sun. The survey prompted those seeking elected office to state their reasons for running, goals for their village and what their priorities would be if elected. Davis, Brian Sagraves and Rhonda Sagraves did not respond to the candidate survey or a request for comment.
Early voting has already begun at the Clark County Board of Elections.
Brad J. Roe
Roe is an employee of Jefferson Local Schools and is a lifelong resident of South Vienna as well as a graduate of Northeastern Local Schools.
Roe said he felt inspired to run this year due to feeling “a sense of not only civic duty and service, but also a desire to promote the safety and well-being of all my neighbors.”
Roe said if elected he wants to look for ways that the village could reduce spending or find alternative funding that would allow for the reduction of the RITA (income) tax.
In addition, Roe said another priority of his would be to find ways to ensure traffic safety in relation to the building and opening of a new K-12 school building for Northeastern Local Schools.
The district is building two prek12 campuses, one called Northeastern and the other called Kenton Ridge as part of a $120 million project.
The Northeastern one is set to open at the beginning of the 2022 school year and the other is set to open at the beginning of the 2023 school year.
Roe said he would like to help develop a plan in coordination with the district as well as law enforcement and South Vienna in order to “keep our children safe while managing this increase of pedestrian and vehicular traffic.”
Roe added that he would also work with South Vienna law enforcement to make sure they have the full authority and resources in order to protect and serve village residents.
John Schmid
Schmid is the director of technology for the Northeastern Local School District and is a council member for South Vienna.
Schmid said he is seeking reelection because “I believe in South Vienna and want to see our village stay a village and not become a city. A village we are proud to call home. A place we can feel safe. A place we want our kids and grandkids to grow up in.”
Schmid said he wants to help make sure that citizens of South Vienna can trust that their council members are doing the right things for their village. He added that he wants to make sure the village is financially sound.
The incumbent said he would work to make sure the village is prepared for the new Northeastern school. That includes serving as a liaison between the council and the school district.
“The new school will be a huge asset to the village of South Vienna. I want to make sure we are working together for the betterment of our village,” Schmid said.
He said other priorities will include making sure budgets are followed and money is being used for the needs of citizens.
Schmid said he would also continue to work with local law enforcement to ensure safety as well as help make sure traffic resulting from the opening of the new school will be conducted efficiently.
Charles K. Miller
Miller has a background in working with government agencies and is a past council member for the village of South Vienna.
He has been involved with organizations associated with the Clark County Public Library and Clark State College, served as the treasurer of the American Postal Workers Union Local 3972 and as a board member of the Springfield Postal Workers Federal Credit Union.
“I have over 30 years of experience working for government agencies, so I would be a great fit for village council. ‘Leaders don’t deliver excuses, they deliver solutions,’ is one of my favorite quotes, and I try to live by that,” he said of his decision to run this year.
Miller said he wants to focus on better communication between the residents and elected officials as well as investigate the possibility of tax cuts.
“Residents deserve explanations when their lives and their pocketbooks are impacted, not just a new ordinance hung up at the post office,” he said.
Miller said he would like to enroll the village in the Open Checkbooks program.
“This valuable state-run program promotes financial transparency and lets residents see where their tax dollars go,” he said.
“Communication with the residents is of the utmost importance. They may not be able to attend the monthly meetings but I’ll attempt to give them many avenues to find out what their elected officials are doing, he added.
He said he also wants to look at the possibility of more police patrols and more community involvement as well as improving continuity and safety with the police department.