Lori Askeland, Gerald Simms and Rick Walkey won seats on Yellow Springs Village Council on Election Day. Askeland and Walkey are incumbents, and Simms is a newcomer. In the contested race for Miami Township Trustee, incumbent Chris Mucher defeated John Eastman.
Askeland, Simms, Walkey, Mucher win contested races
- Published: November 17, 2011
Yellow Springs voters elected Lori Askeland, Gerald Simms and Rick Walkey to seats on Village Council on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Askeland and Walkey were both incumbents seeking a second term, and Simms was a newcomer to the race. The three winners join current Council members Judith Hempfling and Karen Wintrow.
Voter turnout was good, with about 52 percent of village voters going to the polls.
The highest vote-getter, Askeland was returned to Council for another four years. Newcomer Simms also earned a four-year term as the second highest winner. Walkey, who had served one two-year term, earned another two-year term.
Overall in Yellow Springs, Askeland had 1,158, or 27 percent of the vote; Simms had 966, or 23 percent; and Walkey came away with 888 votes, or 21 percent.
The two other candidates for Council, Shane Creepingbear and Dan Reyes, came in fourth and fifth in the race, with Creepingbear fourth with 703 votes, or 16 percent, and Reyes receiving 549, or 13 percent.
Askeland, a Wittenberg University professor of literature and women’s studies, in her first term had been a strong advocate for affordable housing and adding sustainable energy sources to the Village portfolio. During her campaign she also emphasized the need to make smart choices in a time of revenue loss, maintain Village services, support Antioch College and the need for citizens to take personal responsibility to conserve energy use.
Longtime village resident Simms, retired from Wright Patterson Air Force Base, during his campaign emphasized the relevance of his budget analysis experience in a time of fiscal challenges. He urged the Village to be more pro-active in attracting new business to town by offering financial incentives.
Walkey in his first term also advocated for sustainable energy sources and affordable housing. In his campaign he emphasized the need for continuity on Council partly due to upcoming changes in key Village personnel and also ongoing cuts from the state that have led to a loss of Village revenue.
Results by precinct:
Precinct 440 (the north end of town): Askeland, 356; Walkey, 276; Simms, 264; Creepingbear, 220; and Reyes, 157.
Precinct 441 (the western part of town): Simms, 239; Askeland, 238; Walkey, 182; Creepingbear, 147; and Reyes, 118.
Precinct 442 (the central area and downtown): Askeland, 260; Walkey, 213; Creepingbear, 192; Simms, 172; and Reyes, 115.
Precinct 443 (the south end of town): Askeland, 304; Simms, 291; Walkey, 217; Reyes, 159; and Creepingbear, 144.
Mucher holds seat
Chris Mucher returns to Miami Township Trustees after defeating native Yellow Springer John Eastman. Mucher, who has served 15 years on the board, earned another four-year term, and will join Trustees Mark Crockett and Lamar Spracklen.
Fifty-two percent of voters in the two Miami Township and four Yellow Springs precincts went to the polls, casting 1,165 votes for Mucher, or 56 percent, and 898, or 44 percent, for Eastman.
Mucher, a local small business owner, campaigned on his record of fiscal oversight, which he argued is especially relevant in this time of declining state funding and declining revenues.
Eastman, an engineer who grew up in Yellow Springs, campaigned on the need for more enhanced communication between the trustees and the township, the relevance of his engineering skills to township issues, and the need for fiscal restraint.
The precinct breakdown for the Miami Township Trustee race was not available by press time, and will be published in next week’s paper.
Uncontested Miami Township Fiscal Officer Margaret Silliman will return to office, after 1,733 voters cast votes for her.
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