Bihn, Kennedy, Moszkowicz not on Nov. ballot

By: 
Kelly J. Kaczala

       Two Oregon public officials and the Jerusalem Township fiscal officer will not be on the November 5 ballot.
        Oregon School Board member Keith Kennedy, Oregon City Councilwoman Sandy Bihn and Jerusalem Township Fiscal Officer Joel Moszkowicz will not be on the ballot seeking re-election. Their names are included on an “invalid candidates” list on the Lucas County Board of Elections website.
        Kennedy, who was seeking reelection to a second four-year term, told The Press on Wednesday that he accidentally provided the incorrect dates on a petition that he later corrected, but the board of elections still rejected the petition.
        ”On two of the sheets, there was a section for a date on the signatures, and I had written the wrong year, so I had crossed it out, then wrote the correct dates, and put my initials next to the dates. They decertified it for that reason,” said Kennedy.
        The board of elections does not provide an appeal process.
        There are two seats up for election on the board this November. Incumbent Jeff Ziviski is seeking re-election to his seat. Since there are no other candidate seeking the seats, the school board could approve a “hold over” resolution for Kennedy so he could keep his seat for the next couple of years. Then he would have to run again in the next election for an unexpired term if he wanted to stay on the board.
        “It’s left in the board’s hands. I haven’t heard if any decision has been made at this point,” said Kennedy.
       
Previous holdover
        A holdover resolution for an Oregon school board member is not unprecedented. On Nov. 16, 2016, the Oregon school board passed a resolution in support of incumbent Board Member Heather Miller being a holdover after her petitions were not certified by the board of elections.
        At that time, there were two candidates seeking three seats on the board. Miller became a holdover for the remaining position on the board because there was no successor elected, nor was there a vacancy created under Revised Code 3313-11 and other applicable laws.
        The resolution then went to the Lucas County Board of Elections requesting that Miller be a holdover candidate for two years. Miller stayed in her seat, and is on the ballot this November for the unexpired term.
        Another option is for the school board to vote to accept applications of people interested in the seat and conduct interviews before appointing someone to the seat within 30 days, said Kennedy.
       
Staying involved
        Bihn told The Press that there were “some issues with the petitions” that kept her from being on the ballot.
        “It just didn’t work out,” she said.
        Bihn, who is also executive director of the Lake Erie Waterkeeper program and president of the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse Preservation Society, said she plans on staying involved in issues facing the community.
        “I’m doing a lot of work on the lighthouse and the lake,” said Bihn. “I’ll still want to give back to the community. I’ve talked to the city about having a couple of meetings per year about the waterfront, South Shore Park and Facility 3. I would also like to organize a committee that works with the city on art and beautification. I think we could improve our appearance. We’ve gotten better, but we can still do some sprucing up.”
        Moszkowicz was appointed as the assistant fiscal officer in December, 2017 before he became the fiscal officer on January 1, 2018. He could not be reached for comment.
        Anna M. Buschmann, 1520 S North Curtice Rd., Oregon, is the sole candidate running for the office of fiscal officer. 
        The Lucas County Board of Elections lists the following candidates who are running for seats on Oregon City Council, Jerusalem Township and Toledo City Council’s Third District seat (East Toledo and the Old South End):
       
        Jerusalem Twp. Trustee. (One trustee seat):
        •Incumbent Mark Sattler, 12545 Lagoon Dr., Curtice.
        •Challenger Edward J. Gilbert III, 9501 Brown Rd., Curtice, Oregon.
        •Challenger Vernon G. Meinke, 430 Anchor Point Rd., Curtice. Oregon
       
        Toledo City Council District 3 candidates: Glen Cook, Theresa Gadus
 
        Oregon City Council (Four seats)):
        •Incumbent Steve Hornyak, 4850 S Teal Ln., Oregon.
        •Incumbent Kathleen Pollauf, 6720 Corduroy Rd., Oregon.
        •Incumbent Timothy Zale, 526 Park Way W., Oregon.
        •Challenger Marvin Dabish, 514 Haley Dr., Oregon.
        •Challenger (write in) Steven R. Salander, 2435 Eastvale Ave., Oregon
        •Challenger (write in) Cassie Tinta, 595 Sylvandale Ave., Oregon.
 
 
 
       

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