In Austintown: Ditzler, Pritchard and Edwards

Well-populated townships such as Austintown need flexible office holders who can walk a political tightrope -- running what is in effect a small city under rules written for rural governance.
This year, Austintown voters must elect not one or two such people, but three. Normally in this off-year election, Austintown would be electing two trustees for four year terms. The other seat would be filled in two years. But Ken Carano's four-year term was cut short when he was elected state representative, so voters will also elect someone to fill-out the two remaining years of his term.
Who is running: The races shape up like this:
For the two full terms, there are four candidates. David Ditzler is seeking re-election. Warren "Bo" Pritchard, who served on the board from 1994 to 1998 and was named as Carano's interim replacement until November, is also seeking a full term, along with David M. Williams, a machine shop owner, and Mary Lou Chinchic.
Seeking to serve the two remaining years of Carano's term are Richard E. Edwards, James P. Johnson, Lisa L. Oles, Harold Porter and Tammy M. Romeo.
In eight years as a trustee, Ditzler has served his constituency well. On a state level he has been active in the Coalition of Large Ohio Urban Townships, which has been working to develop legislation that would allow urban townships to address their special problems. A dramatic example culled from recent headlines is the inability of townships to regulate wild animals in residential neighborhoods.
We believe Ditzler's experience will help give the board stability during this time of transition.
We also believe that Pritchard brings more to the trustees' table than political newcomer David W. Williams. We were troubled by several answers Williams gave during an interview with Vindicator editors, especially his contention that there isn't much area left in Austintown in which to run sewers and water or in which there could be future development. We'd disagree.
Pritchard says many of Austintown's problems stem from a lack of planning decades ago, but that the board has been working toward controlled growth and providing for the township's needs.
Ditzler and Pritchard get The Vindicator's endorsement.
The other race: In the race for Carano's unexpired term, only Edwards and Oles attended endorsement interviews. Oles talked in generalities about the need to give children a reason to stay in Austintown and a desire to build a senior citizens center, but was short on specifics. She could not hazard a guess at the township's budget.
Edwards showed a strong grasp of township finances and even rattled off how many employees each department has. With a masters degree in management, he was able to discuss the need for a better employee evaluation plan (only the police department has a good one now, he said). He also discussed ways the township can encourage growth and deal with its urban-type problems.The Vindicator endorses Edwards for the two-year term.