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WELLSVILLE - Wellsville voters will be selecting from five candidates to fill four seats on Wellsville Village Council in the Nov. 7 General Election.
The 1,792 registered voters have the option of choosing from candidates incumbent Karen Dash, 500 Park Ave.; Cindy K. Mick, 405 Riverside Ave.; Barbara Recek, 725 Main St.; incumbent Aaron Smith, 618 Henry Ave.; and incumbent Martin Keith Thorn Jr., 807 Washington Ave.
Both Dash and Thorn are listed on the ballot while Mick, Recek and Smith are running as write-ins.
Karen M. Dash
Dash, who is a graduate of Kent State University and University of Dayton, is a retired school teacher who worked for Wellsville Local Schools for 35 years.
She is married to her husband Andy.
She is active in the community as a member of the Wellsville Hall of Fame Committee, the Hammond Park Board, Wellsville High School Alumni Scholarship Committee and the Wellsville Chamber of Commerce.
She has previously held an elected office as a member of the Wellsville Board of Education for eight years and has been on the Wellsville Village Council since she was appointed for the seat in 2017.
She has not lost a public office.
Dash said her qualifications for the position as her experience and love for the village.
She is seeking reelection to continue her work for the village and the goal set in 2020.
Dash said her three biggest accomplishments on council as the upgrades done at Hammond Park and the 18th Street Playground along with small beautification grants to provide flowers around the village, her work with the Columbiana County Land Bank to identify and remove abandoned and/or unsightly homes and her ability to continue to listen to the residents and view no problem as being too small to deserve attention.
Dash, who has never been convicted of a felony, said residents should vote for her because she has goals not yet achieved.
"All the candidates for Village Council are great candidates who love and want the best for our village," Dash said. "I have a few goals that I have not achieved yet; continue to apply for grants, to make improvements in our village."
Martin Keith Thorn Jr.
Thorn, who is a graduate of Eastern Gateway Community College with an associate degree in criminal justice, has an extensive background in law enforcement.
He worked for the Wellsville Police Department from 1970 to 2000 where he was chief from 1974 to 2000. He also worked at Eastern Gateway Community College as a police academy instructor since 1974. In 1999 he became a commander at the police academy, a position he still holds. Since 2014 he has been employed as a bailiff in the Columbiana Court of Commons Pleas.
Thorn is involved with community activities through his position as a board member for the Wellsville Chamber of Commerce.
He is married and has three children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Thorn, who was originally appointed to the Wellsville Village Council, has not lost an election for public office and still his seat on council.
Thorn said his qualifications for the council position includes his lifelong experience in working in county, city and village government and being versed in the law with a criminal justice degree.
Thorn said he is seeking reelection so he can help the community, make sure it operates according to the Revised Code and make sure the village is financially solvent.
He noted his greatest accomplishments while serving on council have been his work to update the employee manual, re-codifying the village's ordinances and helping to get the village out of financial problems.
Thorn, who has never been convicted of a felony, said he believes voters should elect him due to his knowledge of the law and how a village and each of the departments should run and he has experience in dealing with village, county and state government.
The paper did not receive responses to a pre-election questionnaire from Mick, Recek and Smith.
Kgarabrandt@mojonews.com