Madison Township voters to choose from three candidates for one trustee seat
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By KRISTI R. GARABRANDT
Staff Writer
MADISON TOWNSHIP -- The 2,034 registered voters in Madison Township will have three candidates to choose from to fill one trustee seat Nov. 7.
Candidates include Randall Bogart of Alderick Road, Wellsville; Jamie Nentwick of Hammond School Road, Wellsville; and incumbent Roger Walker of state Route 518, Lisbon.
Jamie Nentwick
Nentwick worked in the food service industry and then worked as a heavy equipment operator for Operating Engineers Local 18 and Benjamin Firestone American Legion Post 290 for six years prior to entering community organization. While starting her career in organizing she worked Libs Market in Salem.
She has been active in the community for seven years as a member of the Community Action Agency (CAA) Board of Directors. She was appointed to the board after heading up their Head Start Policy Council. She also served as the vice director for American Legion Riders Post 290.
Nentwick is a mom to twins.
She has not held a public office as an adult but as a teen she was the treasurer of V.I.C.A at the Mahoning County Career Technical Center.
Nentwick listed her qualifications for trustee as experience she has gained from working many fields including Lowellville Street Department and sewage plant as a teenager,10 years of working flea markets off and on in the summers starting at the age of 12, bartending in downtown Pittsburgh and veterans' organizations.
"The point I'm trying to make is that I have been around many cultures, classes and mentalities. I find myself to understand the differences in each one of us and that we all deserve to have civil and understanding conversations with residents as an elected official," Nentwick said. "I am also a world traveler, opening up more understanding of unique individuals. Working in a dominantly male work field more than half my of my life has given me a thick skin and taught me patience. Sitting on the CAA Board has given me boardroom skills and etiquette so that I can serve the public more efficiently."
Nentwick said she is seeking the position of trustee because she feels she sees a lack of participation in the township and that the residents need to be engaged and informed and encouraged to participate in the local government and less on federal.
"We are over showered by federal news and ignore who decides how much of our taxes and who decides which road gets fixed," Nentwick said. "We need to go to the source, and I want to make sure resident(s) know that trustees are there to serve. I want to bring transparency and inclusion to our local government."
Nentwick, who has never been charged with a felony, said she believes the voters should elect her because she is open and honest and encourages communication. She said she will go to great lengths to research topics of communication to find an efficient solution.
"We need to work together as a community and I am willing to bridge that gap and stop the secrecy that has been plaguing our township for so many years," Nentwick said.
Roger W. Walker
Walker, a 1963 graduate of Beaver Local Schools, spent six months in machine school before entering the military where he served four years active duty, 23 years with the National Guard and 13 years inactive.
He has worked for NRM for 12 years and First Energy for 26 years.
He is married with two sons, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild,
He currently serves as a Madison Township trustee, a seat he has held for 13 years. He has never lost an election for public office and has not been appointed to a public body.
Walker said he is seeking re-election because he wants to assist the residents of the township alongside the other trustees.
Walker listed his accomplishments during his time as trustee as using COVID-19 funds to purchase a backhoe, track machine, trailer, a new building for storage of the equipment and a generator and assisting the residents of the township with their needs.
Walker, who has never been convicted of a felony, said the residents should choose him for trustee because he feels he is qualified for the position; he has been a resident of Madison Township since 1951 and he cares about the residents and community he lives in.
The paper did not received a response to a candidate questionnaire from Bogart.
kgarabrandt@mojonews.com