Recordpub.com - 7 candidates seek 2 seats in Brimfield: Candidates are focused on roads, crime, township growth, fiscal responsibility

By Matt Fredmonsky

Record-Courier staff writer

Seven Brimfield residents are running for two seats in the township board of trustees race.

Incumbents Mike Kostensky and Dan Tronge are running to keep their seats against a former township firefighter, fiscal officer and two long-time township residents. The seventh candidate says he is running as part of his “civic duty” to his fellow residents.

Mike Kostensky

Kostensky, 51, owns Mike’s Place restaurant at the corner of S.R. 261 and S.R. 43 in Kent and has served as a trustee for eight years.

Kostensky said he wants to continue what he has been doing as a member of the trustees board, including keeping taxes low and exercising further fiscal restraint.

“We need to look at everything,” he said. “We need to find different, creative ways rather than running back to the voter ... every time we need more money.”

Dan Tronge

Tronge, 68, is a retiree who has served as a trustee for five years. He said there are several projects he wants to see finished before his time as a trustee ends.

“No. 1 would be better roads,” he said. “And the police department needs to be enlarged. We’re short people.”

Clinton Parsons

The incumbents are facing competition from lifetime Brimfield resident Clinton Parsons, 38, who is running for trustee because he “saw where I thought new, innovative ideas could be used in the community to help things move forward.”

Parsons, a U.S. Department of Defense project manager, said the township under-utilizes its presence on the Internet and makes attendance at meetings difficult because of the 3 p.m. start time.

“As things progress in Brimfield, there’s no easy way to find out what’s going on,” he said. “You’d have to burn vacation time to get there. That doesn’t make sense to me.”

Cliff Porter

Former firefighter Cliff Porter, 64, said fiscal responsibility will always be the top priority for township government.

“But we have to manage the growth,” Porter said. “All we’ve got is a lot of residential home allotments, which means we’re going to pay our bills forever and ever with property taxes. That’s good and it’s bad at the same time. We need to try to get industry, which we’re doing in some parts.”

The 38-year township resident is a retiree from FirstEnergy.

Gary Rodd

Gary Rodd, a 22-year resident of the township, has served on the Brimfield Township Zoning Commission since 2007 and has owned Gary Rodd trucking since 1974.

“There are many things that can be changed to help tighten our budget,” Rodd said. “I believe I have plenty of experience to back myself up as well as help with the responsibility of the fiscal part. You’ve got to learn how to tighten that budget.”

Charles “Chick” Sprague

Charles “Chick” Sprague Jr. served as fiscal officer for 20 years and currently serves as the township’s cemetery sexton.

Sprague said he believes the township’s biggest challenge is to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its residents.

“And that has to be done within the money or the budget we’re provided by the residents,” he said. “Our family’s been involved with the township for 40 some years, and I think it might be an opportunity for me to give something back to the township because I had the experience as fiscal officer and know a little bit about budget and township government.”

Jeff Smith

Jeff Smith is the newest township resident of the candidates with fewer than five years’ residency. The 41-year-old computer sales professional said he wants to do his duty to ensure the township continues to grow and prosper.

“My motivation for wanting to be a candidate ... is to be the voice of the people and to be accessible to them,” Smith said.