Local non-partisan candidates set for November election

Manchester voters, especially those living in the village, will have plenty of choices to make on the November ballot.

Non-partisan candidates for Manchester Community Schools Board of Education, Manchester Village Council, and a newly-forming Commission to write a City Charter should the village decide to become a city were due to file their candidacy by July 22, 2022, for the November 8 election.

Candidates who filed by the deadline are as follows:

Manchester Community Schools Board of Education will see the most activity in the fall campaign, with six candidates in the running for three open seats. Those candidates are — Eric Coval, Rebecca Harvey (incumbent), Julie Lutton, James Stewart, Michael J. Tindall (incumbent), and Sandra Wiitala. All voters within the Manchester School District are eligible to vote in this election.

Three candidates are running for three open seats on Village Council. Incumbent candidates Marsha Chartrand, Cynthia Dresch, and Amelia Woods have all filed petitions to retain their positions as trustees on Council. Only village residents (Manchester Township, Precinct 1) will see these candidates on their ballot.

The City Charter Commission, which is charged with writing a new City Charter that will determine how a potential City of Manchester would operate in the future, is required to have nine members. At least 20 signatures were required on each petition for these positions. Nine candidates are running for the nine open seats. Those who have filed successfully include — William Brinkman, Denise Collins, Mark Dresch, Daniel Geyer, Jack Gould, Herbert Mahony, Samantha Tank, Jeffrey Wallace, and Louis Way. These candidates, also, will only be found on the Manchester Village ballots (Precinct 1, Manchester Township).

Voting for Village Council members or City Charter Commission members in this election does not affect a future vote for cityhood in any way. The Charter Commission, once elected, will complete its work within 90 days and cease to exist (whether or not cityhood is approved at the end of the process). The charter they write will be submitted to the state for approval, all the way up to the governor’s office. Once approved, another election will be held for village residents to vote on the proposed Charter and a new City Council. If rejected, the cityhood proposal is invalidated.

In the townships, there are no regular elections scheduled. However, in Sharon Township, Michelle Mrocko is running unopposed on the non-partisan ballot for Township Clerk.

by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.