Meanwhile, in the election involving two first-time challengers and three incumbents for three Centerville City Council positions, incumbents JoAnne Rau, John Palcher and Bill Serr have won the most votes, according to final but unofficial results from the Montgomery County Board of Elections.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
The vote breakdown in contested races with all precincts reporting was as follows:
•School board: Dr. David Roer at 20%, John Doll with 20%, Megan Sparks at 20%, Heather Schultz with 13%, Lysa Kosins at 13% and Dawn McGuire with 13%.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
•City council: JoAnne Rau at 26%, John Palcher with 21%, Bill Serr at 21%, Dan Apolito with 16%, and Leah E. McCullough with 15%.
Centerville’s board of education campaign pitted challengers Kosins, McGuire and Schultz on one ticket against incumbents Doll, Roer and Megan Sparks on another.
For several months, the challengers and their supporters have been openly critical of board members on a number of issues, including the district’s COVID-19 face mask policies.
Centerville police said they have been requested at a handful of board of education meetings as the level of discourse has become “pretty heated” as Schultz described it. Roer said some “speakers’ tones have been scary at times.”
Police said their role was “to keep the peace” and have never taken any action at board meeting.
A non-violent incident occurred at Roer’s home Sept. 11 after an unidentified spouse of a campaign worker questioned the way his wife was treated by the Roers a few hours earlier, according to a sheriff’s office report.
Schultz also called law enforcement to her home last month after finding damage to her vehicle, which was parked overnight in the driveway, Centerville police records show.
Schultz said she could not tie the damage to the school board campaign.
Centerville City Council
In the city council election, Apolito and McCullough shared a campaign Facebook page in a race that had incumbents Palcher, Rau and Serr vying for re-election after running unopposed in 2017.
All candidates have said the city’s Uptown plan to revitalize Centerville’s historic town center will be a top priority moving forward.
The city is in the process of revising Phase I of the $11.4 million plan, a multi-year project to improve access, parking, business growth, traffic, green space and entertainment in the center of town.
Earlier this year the Uptown plan received a boost as Centerville won state approval for a 113-acre entertainment district. Boundaries for that area — which allows for 15 more liquor permits — basically mirror the city’s historic district.
About the Author
