SMITH TOWNSHIP Trustees

Seven candidates are running for two seats.. An (*) denotes incumbent:
ROCHELLE BARNETT
Age: 46.Address: 14191 Ellett Road. Employment: Utility billing clerk in Salem, volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician.Education: West Branch High School graduate, EMT education at Allied Medicine.Family: Husband, Donald L. Barnett; sons, Kevin Smith and Mike Smith; three grandchildren.Priority: To quickly familiarize self with current policy and finances and establish grant monies to replace decreasing tax base, continue local road improvements; provide excellent police and fire coverage, allow a cooperative working environment with fire and police departments.
EDWARD L. BLAKE*
Age: 58.Address: 20764 Oak St. Employment: Retired U.S. Air Force civil engineer and from Heinz Co. as food processing mechanic and supervisor; full-time township trustee.
Education: Union High School, more than two years at various universities in civil engineering and management.Family: Wife, Monika; sons, Frank, Mike, John and Steve; seven grandchildren.Priority: A community building using little or no township money; continued support of improving police, road and recycle departments; to continue grant seeking for waterlines and roads; to continue ridding the township of vacant houses and abandoned vehicles.
RALPH "JERRY" RITCHIE
Age: 73.Address: 20792 Lake Park Blvd.Employment: Retired from Alliance Machine.Education: Alliance schools, U.S. Navy.Family: Wife, Gladys; sons, Robert and Ron; daughters, Linda Schnorr and Diana Dicks, seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren.Priority: To help the township continue to move forward and stress the importance of unity and helping one another to make the township and country a better place; support of road, recycling and police departments.
ROBERT M. RINEHART
Age: 37.Address: 20830 Alliance-Sebring Road.Employment: Excavating contractor.Education: Sebring High School graduate, Mahoning County Joint Vocational School.Family: Wife, Cindy; sons, Alex and Chris; daughter, Tiffany.Priority: Safety of township residents, the best in fire and police protection and the creation of a disaster warning system; work with other trustees as a team to get grant, federal and state monies; to improve relations between the township and neighboring communities.
RICHARD L. "RICK" WATSON
Age: 50.Address: 20882 Oak St.Employment: Self-employed owner of business.Education: Salem High School.Family: Wife, Sherry; daughter, Erica Kaurich; son, Scott.Priority: To promote the will of the people; to encourage cooperation between the fire department and township government and to encourage cooperation between residents and communities and hold semiannual celebrations to assist in meeting township needs; to encourage locating of township buildings on township soil and to maintain high quality highway maintenance.
DON STILLION AND L. WUNDERLICH JR.
Did not return questionnaires to The Vindicator.