See what Etna Township Trustee candidates said about trustee behavior, warehouses
After watching Etna Township Trustees' infighting for nearly two years, Etna residents will vote for a new voice to join the board in 2024.
One seat on the Etna Township Board of Trustees is on the Nov. 7 general election ballot, and four candidates are seeking to succeed Jeff Johnson, who served for more than a decade and opted not to seek reelection. Gary Burkholder, Ryan Davis, Steven Perkins and Trent Stepp the four candidates for the open seat.
The Advocate sent all candidates a questionnaire about themselves and the top issues for Etna Township. You can read their answers below.
Who are the candidates for Etna Township trustee?
Gary Burkholder
Age: 69
Occupation and highest education level: President, NorthCoast Research, Inc.; B.S. in criminal justice, M.A. in sociology
Relevant experience: Currently, I serve on Etna Township’s Land Use Citizen Advisory Committee. As a city manager in Brookville, Ohio, I led the economic development team which ultimately resulted in the city landing GM’s $175 million DMAX diesel engine production plant. I also served as the project manager for the new $6 million firehouse and worked with the Ohio Department of Transportation on the community’s $5 million, ODOT-funded, I-70 overpass. I have managed numerous community redevelopment projects and successfully secured ODOT funding for a Safe Routes to School Program. I have both the economic and community development experience Etna Township needs.
Ryan Davis
Age: 41
Occupation and highest education level: Outside territory sales manager; bachelor’s degree: marketing, human resources and general management (triple major)
Relevant experience: President of Etna’s New Community Authority Board, member of Etna’s Comprehensive Plan Committee
Steven Perkins
Age: 47
Occupation and highest education level: Field service manager; B.S. in industrial technology education from Bowling Green State University
Relevant experience: Former congressional candidate
Trent Stepp
Age: 52
Occupation and highest education level: Senior director of operations for Salas O'Brien (23 years of service). Degree from the University of Cincinnati in architectural engineering technology. Certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
Relevant experience: Over 17 years of service to Etna Township in roles appointed by nine different trustees and reappointed at least once in each role. Roles have included Zoning Commission (including chair), Board of Zoning Appeals (including chair) and Southwest Licking Community Water and Sewer District Board of Trustees.
Question: Why are you running for office?
Burkholder: I am running for trustee because the current discord and disconnect on the board is having a negative impact on our community. Etna needs an experienced leader who will work with the other two trustees, the fiscal officer and the staff to restore calm and stability on the board. The board needs to focus on the issues affecting our residents, not the personalities. I have the policy and leadership skills to bring the board together, tackle our current challenges, protect our quality of life, and take advantage of future opportunities to improve our community.
Davis: The primary reason I am running for office is because I know I can make a positive difference in the Etna community. Currently, I am the president of Etna’s New Community Authority board. I have enjoyed contributing to community groups such as Etna’s Comprehensive Plan Committee. And I have had fun volunteering at my daughter’s school during various activities. My wife and four daughters (ages 14, 6, 3, and 2) want to make Etna our forever home. Etna deserves a trustee who personally wants what is best for Etna’s future.
Perkins: Like many Etna voters, in 2021, I voted for a change in Etna Township leadership. Sadly, I have been likewise disappointed by the ensuing power struggle that has gone on since, and leadership is definitely not what we have gotten. We started with a board chaired by Mr. Evans that quickly went off the rails. We then got a board chaired by Mrs. Mckee that stayed off the rails, with Mr. Johnson unfortunately just following the train wherever it went. I am running to do the hard unglamorous work of putting Etna back on the rails.
Stepp: Simply, Etna Township needs an elected official who is calm under pressure, can handle the stresses of complicated public meetings and is able to employ active and empathetic listening skills to hear the needs of the community and lead the board in a positive direction. I have these attributes and the institutional knowledge to apply them in a path that will move us forward. My family and I care enough about our community to knowingly invest in me being the next Etna Township trustee — even, and especially, in the current environment.
Q: What makes you the better candidate in this race?
Burkholder: Proven leadership, experience and commitment to making Etna Township the best. With over 20 years of successful business and government experience at the township, city, village and state levels of government, I am well-prepared to work with the other trustees for the betterment of our community. My experience includes major capital improvement projects, public safety, safe routes to school, land use planning, zoning, budget management and economic development. Given the growth in our community, this is the level of expertise and leadership needed to get Etna Township back on track. I can hit the ground running Day 1.
Davis: Etna residents want to elect someone who will put "trust" back into the word trustee. I am the fresh face in this race with no connections, no ties and no personal agenda — only to do what is best for Etna — period. My approach to trustee will be the same as everything else I’ve done. Starting with setting goals, creating plans of action, hard work, leading by example and achieving success as a team. I believe the combination of my work ethic, problem solving, communication skills and ability to listen objectively makes me the most well-rounded candidate for Etna.
Perkins: Since the very beginning of this past term, I have been very vocal about proper rules of conduct under Roberts Rules of Order. We need someone who can follow the rules and also make sure that the other trustees do as well. I am proud to have led the charge on this issue. Both remaining trustees pay lip service to Roberts now, but neither follow it. On many occasions, I have had private discussions with all three trustees, made public comment in meetings and met with the residents of Etna as to what the rules of decorum are under Roberts.
Stepp: In each of my three prior or current township roles, I was appointed and reappointed. I left my role on the Zoning Commission upon completion of a term (after 10 years) and did not seek another reappointment. In total, I have served Etna Township for over 17 years at the request of nine different trustees. In contrast, one of the other candidates was removed from office by the voters of the township after a single trustee term and the other two candidates have very limited experience in non-statutory roles.
Q: What are residents telling you are their most important issues, and how would you address them?
Burkholder: Residents are rightfully concerned about the discord on the trustee board, and they don’t want more warehouses. Residents want a professional board that deals with our current challenges and properly prepares for future opportunities. Calm and stability can be restored to the board by affording all trustees and the residents an equal opportunity to civilly participate in the process. Regarding warehouses, I would recommend the trustees communicate to the county commissioners that the township does not support more abatements for warehouses. Additionally, I would propose the trustees focus on developing a more diversified commercial base with more small businesses.
Davis: Most Etna residents are concerned about three topics: development, quality of life and respect. Development is coming, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. Applying a commonsense approach to commercial and residential development and how they coexist together is key to the success of our future. Quality of life concerns like overcrowded schools, increased traffic and noise/light pollution are all problem areas that I will work with residents, surrounding communities and our Licking County government to alleviate. Respect will be restored to our community with the professional leadership I can bring to the board.
Perkins: By far, the feedback I receive from residents is that they are tired of the community they call home being negatively represented in the media due to the outrageous, embarrassing and unprofessional actions of our Board of Trustees. Second would be a fatigue over large scale development in the township. Many issues that would be worthy of deliberation by the board have gone unheard, not because of merit but because of personal infighting on the board. By following the rules, we can make township meetings boring again, with all voices being heard.
Stepp: The three major issues I hear are decorum of the board at meetings, warehouses and perceptions of the township in the greater community of Licking County and beyond. Solving decorum issues at the board meetings requires a third trustee with a strong voice and knowledge of how a proper meeting should be run. I am that voice and have that knowledge. Warehouses are a product of limited planning and poor adherence to the limited planning. Following current zoning guided by an updated comprehensive plan is necessary. I have the experience to do so. Decorum fixes the third issue as well.
Q: Etna’s trustees have spent the better part of the past two years infighting about nearly everything. How would you work with the other two trustees to move the township forward?
Burkholder: It begins by treating each other fairly and respectfully. All trustees must have an equal opportunity to place items on the meeting agendas. Currently, this is not case. Second, all meeting agendas and township reports should be posted to the township’s website five days in advance of the trustee meetings so the trustees are better prepared and the residents have sufficient notice regarding the agendas. And all township board and commission vacancies need to be posted so all residents have an opportunity to apply. These commonsense changes will reduce tensions and result in a more professional board with greater transparency.
Davis: The Etna community and I would start by asking both of our current township trustees to forgive and forget any personal issues from the past two years so Etna can have a fresh start in 2024. My plan is simple. It would begin by sitting down individually with the trustees and staff finding area of common ground to start with. I will listen to everyone’s concerns, create a list and go line by line until every outstanding issue is addressed and resolved. I truly believe I am the best candidate to approach this task equally and objectively.
Perkins: I have built a reputation of being tough but fair to all three current trustees, while not picking a side in the infighting. Both remaining trustees have seemingly endorsed candidates that they feel can assist them in the infighting rather than to stop it. Both remaining trustees have important issues to bring before the board, and I won't allow either to disrespect each other in public meetings or allow them to shut each other out of agendas. I will be a third independent voice on the board, not a lever to be used against one trustee or the other.
Stepp: I am the only candidate who has not, at one time or another, aligned with or endorsed an incumbent trustee. The township voted very clearly two years ago for change. The incumbent trustees have brought change in a very negative form. I contend I’m the only candidate who can lead by truly listening to each of the current incumbents and acting on their ideas rather than opposing them because of who they are. Infighting will end when each trustee is able to have a voice. My slogan is to Stepp Forward, electing me will do just that.
Q: As part of a survey for the township’s comprehensive plan, township residents have shared they do not want to see anymore warehouses coming to Etna. How should Etna Township diversify future development?
Burkholder: I would propose the trustees implement an economic development strategy aimed at attracting a more diversified commercial base including the types of services residents want to see in Etna. Etna currently has no such plan. Moreover, the Etna board needs to work more closely with the county’s economic development department expressing the types of businesses the township would like to attract. Etna does not need more warehouses. Third, the board needs a retention and expansion program for our current and prospective businesses, concentrating on their needs and how the township can assist in their future success.
Davis: I agree Etna does not need any more distribution centers. Township residents should have the loudest voice in the future development of our community. As trustee, I would propose the creation of a citizen-led committee made up of volunteers. The primary purpose of the committee would be to work together and come up with ideas and plans to encourage the kind of development Etna residents want. I believe decisions on future development should be made through a combination of zoning text, infrastructure planning, property location, current usage, and if a change is necessary, will that decision benefit our community?
Perkins: As a sitting member of the comprehensive plan committee, I have recommended that Etna should incentivize the development it wants and not the development it doesn't. For example, I have endorsed small business tax abatements, as small business startups need and deserve them far more than large developers but are always left out of abatement strategies. By doing so you can encourage the types of business built by members of the community, who are willing to invest to improve the quality of life in their community through development, rather than detract from it. They are also more likely to stay once the abatement expires.
Stepp: Spot zoning for warehouses outside of the planned manufacturing district has created the warehouse landscape of today. Limiting large buildings, whether for distribution or manufacturing, to those spaces planned for them is prudent adherence to a modern comprehensive plan. Areas along the Interstate 70 interchange as well as Ohio 310 should develop as Village Center and Neighborhood Commercial according to the final draft of the ongoing strategic (comprehensive) plan. Strict adherence to an approved, modern plan is the solution to future diversification. Residents will then know what to expect as development occurs.
Voting information
Early voting is underway and in-person early voting can be done at the Licking County Board of Elections office, 20 S. Second St., Newark.
Early voting hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 26-27; 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Oct. 30 and Nov.1-3; 7:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Oct. 31; 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 4; and 1-5 p.m. Nov. 5.
Absentee ballot applications must be received by the Licking County BOE by 8:30 p.m. Oct. 31. Absentee ballots must be postmarked no later than Nov. 6.
Polls are open Nov. 7 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
mdevito@gannett.com
740-607-2175
Twitter: @MariaDeVito13
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Etna Township Trustee candidates talk trustee behavior, warehouses
