Voter Guide: Perry Township trustee

Credit: HANDOUT

Credit: HANDOUT

The Dayton Daily News, Springfield News-Sun and Journal-News invited local candidates to fill out the following questionnaire to inform readers.

VOTE FOR 2:

Melissa E. Mears

No response

Zach Music

No response

Mindi Wynne

No response

Dale E. Seim

Education: Graduate New Lebanon and Montgomery County JVS

Current Employment: Self-employed farmer

Community Involvement: Past president Montgomery County Soil and Water board of supervisors, past president Montgomery County Farm Bureau, past Perry Township Trustee, past Perry Township Board of Zoning appeals member

Why are you seeking elected office? Have lived and farmed in Perry Township my entire life and have been involved in Perry Township government for many years, and want to continue to keep Perry Township a great rural place to farm, live and raise families.

Why should voters elect you? I have a great knowledge past and present of Perry Township and the needs, government workings and finances of the township. Many things are coming, such as broadband, which is great for our community but when it’s installed it goes along farms, creating farm problems that I have the knowledge to help prevent in our township.

If elected, what will be your top three priorities? 1.Manage and make wise spending decisions to keep needed Perry Township services and not require additional tax levies 2. Perry Township is a rural area unlike much of the rest of Montgomery County, and when actions arise that are not needed or could hurt the ways of Perry Township, I would have the knowledge and abilities to defend against them. 3. Make decisions at public meetings, and follow the sunshine laws. The public should know what is going on in the township.

What specific plans do you have to address those top priorities? I have watched or attended all of Perry Township trustee meetings since I was a trustee, and it is obvious to me often times they don’t even understand what their looking at. I think my past as a Perry Township trustee shows I have the knowledge of wise taxpayer money spending. We had good audits, and during my time as a past Perry Township trustee, there was never a road, cemetery or general tax levy. When I was a Perry Township trustee, many Montgomery County officials would contact and look to me about many rural and agriculture situations. I want to keep Perry Township running the way it should be.

Anything else? While in the past serving as Perry Township trustee, I had a great working relationship with many of the Montgomery County departments and attended many meetings and served on several committees. These include the Montgomery County commissioners, the Montgomery County sheriff, the Montgomery County engineer, Montgomery County auditor. And I served on Montgomery County Reappraisal Project Community Forum. Since the time I served as trustee, I have been met by several Montgomery County departments expressing their dismay with current Perry Townships trustees.