Key issues in race: flooding, police

By Elise Franco

Candidates for trustee would like to rebuild the auxiliary police force.

AUSTINTOWN — The four candidates for township trustee all say flooding woes and the police force are the major campaign issues.

Two positions are up for election.

Incumbents David Ditzler, 52, and Bo Pritchard, 53, who were first elected in 1994, face off against 61-year-old Sam Swoger III, who ran for township trustee and lost in 2003, and newcomer James Davis, 32.

Ditzler said that though flooding isn’t nearly as rampant as it was 10 or 20 years ago, it remains an issue for enough residents.

“1994 was our biggest flooding year ever before our 10-year growth,” he said. “[Flooding] is now sporadic, and we’ve done everything possible to help those few homes.”

One more thing Ditzler said the township is doing to help is entering into a proposed joint water district with Boardman and Canfield townships.

“Our initiative is storm water, but it provides the opportunity to add drinking water down the road,” he said. “This kind of regionalization gives us better opportunities to secure funding through grants and loans.”

Davis said he doesn’t necessarily think the water district is the best idea right now.

“It’s an option, but it’s going to be an increase in tax,” he said. “In this economy, we can’t ask the taxpayers for more money until we [exhaust] all other options.”

Davis also said as trustee his main focus will be on bringing the police department back up to full force.

“Currently, the department has, I think, 39 full-time officers, but at one time, it was 45,” he said. “I’d like to see it grow back to that number.”

He said the decrease is due to a lack of budgeting and funding for the department.

Pritchard and Swoger did not attend Vindicator editorial-board interviews.

In a candidate survey submitted to The Vindicator, Pritchard said that he plans to work to secure local, state and federal grants for the police department as well as the other township departments.

Swoger also wrote in his candidate survey that he plans to work closely and form relationships with police and safety forces in the community.

Davis said he would like to rebuild the auxiliary force, which is made up of officers who volunteer at the department.

“At one point they had 18 reserve police officers, and today they have one,” he said. “As they started depleting, it was just never really built back up.”

Ditzler said the police department hired four new officers nearly two years ago, and is still “excellent.”

He said he agrees with Davis’ wish to rebuild the auxiliary force, but it’s becoming more difficult to find officers.

“It’s not because we don’t want it,” Ditzler said.

efranco@vindy.com

Four candidates are running for two seats on the Austintown Board of Trustees. An (*) denotes an incumbent.

DAVID DITZLER*

Age: 52.

Home: 6696 New Road.

Education: Associate degree in applied business and bachelor of science degree in business administration at Youngstown State University; graduate of Austintown Fitch High School.

Employment: Global manager of sales at American Nickeloid Corp.

Family: Wife, Jenny.

Priority: Ditzler said his priority will be to look for ways to save the taxpayers’ money while maintaining the level of services provided to the community.

WARREN “BO” PRITCHARD*

Age: 53.

Home: 2104 South Meridian Road.

Education: Bachelors degree from Heidelberg College; Juris Doctorate from Akron Law School.

Employment: Private practice attorney.

Family: Three daughters and one son.

Priority: Pritchard listed his priorities as maintaining quality services while controlling the costs by pursuing grants, as well as working to regionalize those services with other governmental entities in the area.

JAMES DAVIS

Age: 32.

Home: 6823 Pineridge Court.

Education: Certification from MTC Police Academy in Niles; graduate of Austintown Fitch High School.

Employment: Full-time sales manager at Holiday Inn Boardman; part-time corporal at Milton Township Police District.

Family: Wife, Christine.

Priority: Davis said his main priority is the increased safety of township residents, as well as the development and safety of the township itself.

SAMUEL SWOGER III

Age: 61.

Home: 4492 Viall Road.

Education: Graduate of Chaney High School.

Employment: Retired.

Family: Wife, Rebecca; two daughters and one son.

Priority: Swoger listed his priority as being a “full-time trustee” who will watch over the township’s spending and make himself available for residents at times other than scheduled trustee meetings.

Candidate did not provide a photo.

Source: Candidate interview forms