Homer Township hosts candidates night for trustees, Black River Board of Education

HOMER TWP. — Homer Township residents recently had the opportunity to hear from several candidates running for the Homer Township trustee position and for the Black River Board of Education in the upcoming Nov. 4 election. The event on Tuesday allowed candidates to introduce themselves, answer several questions provided by current Homer Township Trustee Thomas Sigel, and respond to questions from audience members. All three Homer Township trustee seats are on the ballot this November, with two for full terms and one for an unexpired term that ends on Dec. 31, 2027. There are three candidates for the position, making both races uncontested. On March 31, former Homer Township Trustee Jeremy Simcox submitted his letter of resignation, stepping down from his position as a Homer Township trustee. In June, Robert Bloom was appointed by Medina County Probate Judge Kevin Dunn to fill the position on an interim basis until the November election. Bloom is now one of two candidates running for the full-term trustee position, along with Bryan Rose. Claude "Red" Doering is running unopposed to fill the unexpired term. Bloom is a retired Marine Corps officer, having spent about 22 years in the Marine Corps. He is now a program manager at a large IT software firm. "I want to give back to this community," Bloom said. "I want to make sure your tax dollars are spent in the best possible way. I want to be a good steward of your money." Rose has lived in Homer Township since 1979 and has previously served the township as trustee, as a member of the zoning commission and the comprehensive plan committee. During the candidates' night, Rose talked about the importance of spending the township's money wisely and working together to make decisions. Doering has been raising cattle and farming in Homer Township since 1993. He spent eight years in the United States Air Force and then flew commercial airplanes for a couple of airlines. He is currently the vice-chair of the Homer Township Zoning Commission and led the township's most recent comprehensive planning process. "We can't do anything without finances, so we have to prioritize what we're going to spend our limited funds on," Doering said. After the Homer Township trustees answered all their questions, the Black River Board of Education candidates similarly introduced themselves and answered questions from both Sigel and audience members. Three candidates are running for two seats, including incumbent Dan Sexton and challengers Jeremy Holly and Adam Woolfrom. Holly is a Spencer Township resident and has a kid at Black River High School. He believes his skills developed over more than 25 years in business would help in the position. In his introduction, Holly said he's running because he believes the district isn't doing enough for the kids and wants to see improvements. Woolfrom is a 2003 Black River graduate. He has two kids, one who graduated from Black River last year and a four-year-old in pre-K. He talked about the shrinking class sizes and the importance of keeping kids within the district, as well as maintaining a good budget. Sexton is also a Black River graduate and has two kids who've graduated from Black River. He is completing his 12th year on the Black River Board of Education. "I have nothing in it right now, except I believe in Black River," Sexton said. "I love the community. I think we're on the right path at Black River." Contact reporter Sara Crawford at (330) 721-4063 or scrawford@medina-gazette.com.