Present for the Jan. 5 Village Council meeting were, from left, Stephanie Pearce, Senay Semere, Angie Hsu, Carmen Brown and Gavin DeVore Leonard and Village Manager Johnnie Burns and Village Clerk Judy Kintner. (Video still)
New Council takes care of new-year business
- Published: January 13, 2026
On Monday, Jan. 5, a considerably new Village Council took the dais for the group’s first meeting of the year.
New elects Stephanie Pearce, Angie Hsu and Senay Semere joined continuing Council members Gavin DeVore Leonard and Carmen Brown. This is the youngest sitting Council in at least 20 years. The median age of the new group is 45 — about eight years younger than the median age in the village, according to the most recent census data.
This is also the first time in as many years that three seats — a majority of the body — have been filled by newcomers. According to Council Clerk Judy Kintner, this is also the first time in the 15 years she’s been with the Village that all five Council members are parents.
At Monday’s meeting, the group primarily dealt with first-of-year business. Their first task: appoint a new Council president and vice president.
Hsu nominated DeVore Leonard for president, and by unanimous approval, he assumed the role.
The vice president nomination was split. Pearce nominated Brown for the role, but failed to garner majority support. DeVore Leonard nominated Hsu for vice president, and with three “yay” votes from himself, Semere and the nominee, Hsu assumed that role.
According to the Village charter, the Council president serves as the “presiding officer” of the elected body, and is empowered to “execute legal instruments for the Village,” but has “no other administrative functions.” In practice, the Council president leads the twice-a-month regular and any special meetings, and typically leads legislative efforts. In the absence of the president, the vice president assumes these roles.
Later in the meeting, more appointments were made.
Semere and Brown agreed to serve as Council liaisons for the Yellow Springs Development Corporation — a quasi-governmental nonprofit group of village leaders and elected officials from other local bodies, such as the Miami Township Board of Trustees and YS Board of Education — which has been in the news lately for the group’s efforts to purchase two downtown buildings.
Semere and Brown also agreed to be involved with two other groups: the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission and the Greene County Regional Planning Commission; Semere will be the lead liaison in the former group, and Brown the lead in the latter.
In other Council news, Jan. 5—
• In keeping with new-year business, Council unanimously passed a resolution authorizing the Village manager to sell municipal-owned property on GovDeals.com, an online marketplace for municipalities to sell or auction off surplus or expired assets.
Manager Johnnie Burns told Council members that this is an annual resolution for Council to approve, and that he has three “retired” staff vehicles ready to be sold.
• Council also agreed to disburse $2,700 to The 365 Project — a local nonprofit that promotes African American heritage, culture and educational opportunities in Yellow Springs — to cover the organizational costs of the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities, as well as those still-to-be-planned for Juneteenth in five months.
• In his manager’s report, Burns noted that the Village utility department is beginning the year with new office hours. Beginning Jan. 5, the utility office will be open Monday—Friday, 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m.. For payment due dates and day-before disconnects, hours have been extended to 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Utility bill due dates are the 15th of each month, except for holidays.
• Burns lauded his public works staff for promptly dealing with a water main break that occurred on Tully Street on Dec. 29, when several feet of water was shooting into the air. According to Burns’ metrics, when the leak was gushing at such a heavy volume, the municipal water plant was pumping water at 600 gallons per minute, and one of the water towers at Gaunt Park had lost two feet of water within the span of a single hour.
The next Village Council regular meeting will be Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 6 p.m. — a day later than normal, owing to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Ahead of the regular meeting’s starting time, Council will hold a work session regarding the future of Short Street’s ongoing closure. While the meeting is open for public attendance, the public cannot participate in the work session.
Village Council will also hold its annual retreat on Friday, Jan. 23, from 9 a.m.—4 p.m., to determine the group’s goals and priorities for the coming year.
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