Election 2022: Wayne County forum draws 100 who hear from 5 candidates seeking Nov. 8 wins

This story has been updated to correct an error.

WOOSTER − Nearly 100 people queried and chatted up five candidates who will appear on Wayne County ballots in the Nov. 8 general election.

The event was a more casual League of Women Voters Candidates Night Thursday, Oct. 6, at the OARDC Shisler Center, where the candidates rotated between five groups of a dozen or more attendees to answer off-the-cuff questions.

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The nonpartisan organization that works to empower voters had invited 13 candidates — fewer than half were present: Democrat Matthew Diemer seeking Ohio's 7th Congressional District, Democrat Mark Gooch vying for the 77th State House District, Wayne County commissioner candidates Republican Jonathan Hofstetter and Democrat Karla DeMali and Judge Scot Stevenson, a Republican.

The 9th District Court of Appeals candidates, incumbent Republican Donna Carr and Democrat Amber Crowe, sent representatives to talk with voters as they were at other forums, said Kathy Helmuth, co-chair of the Wayne County forum.

The three other court candidates also were at other events, she said.

Republican Wayne County Rep. Scott Wiggam and Republican State Sen. Al Landis declined to attend, Helmuth said. And one candidate, Max Miller, the Republican nominee for Ohio's 7th Congressional District, did not respond to the invitation.

Top issues for candidates on the Wayne County ballot

While attendees asked different questions, voters expected candidates to list their top issues.

For Diemer, women's rights such as abortion access, correcting supply chain issues, improving health care, putting more money in workers' pockets and protecting Social Security benefits are top issues.

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"My girlfriend works at MetroHealth in Cleveland; most of her patients come there by foot, carpool or (use) public transportation," he told one group. "A patient was kicked out to free up a bed at 3 a.m. and their only way home was public transportation."

He said that patient shouldn't have been displaced in those early hours with no dependable way home.

"I want to cap prices on old drugs; capping insulin on Medicare was a good start," Diemer said. "I want to expand Medicaid and cover more people."

Additionally, he hopes to be a voice that can bring the different communities of the 7th district together, which range from Cuyahoga County to Holmes County.

Mental health is among Gooch's top two issues, followed by local issues and keeping democracy open and fair.

"Addiction touches on so many issues from addiction to homelessness and suicide, and with the pandemic, we've seen more kids affected by mental health," he said.

He mentioned two projects that he said are of local concern: Shreve Lake and the locally dubbed "poop pond" in Canaan Township.

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It took years for Shreve Lake to receive funding and gain traction to enter the early stages of design after it was drained in 2014, Gooch said.

"Poop pond" is a clay-lined pit that stores human waste for fertilizer. He told voters that similar "ponds" have attracted attention for pollution-related concerns.

If elected, Gooch said, he wants to prioritize local issues of Wayne County residents.

Another top issue for Gooch is school funding.

"There is a new formula in the state legislature that should be passed; it might not be perfect but it can be changed each year," Gooch said of moving away from property tax-funded public schools.

Head-to-head county commissioner race

Hofstetter, 41, wants to bring a younger perspective to Wayne County governance, but he also wants to learn from the veterans of the trade.

If elected, he hopes to learn about past policy decisions from officials before they leave office.

"Communities and economies change, but (elected officials') experiences are still very helpful," Hofstetter said. "I don't want to bring more of the same, but I want to understand how we got here."

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His time as a Sugar Creek Township trustee saw new blood enter just as the old guard left office.

"There were about two months where I could learn from them, but I was lucky and built relationships with them outside of the office," he said. "I wanted to know why they made the decisions they did."

If elected, the now full-time firefighter would leave that career to focus on governing a county.

Among his top issues is to increase funding for the understaffed Sheriff's Office, he said.

His opponent, DeMali, entered the race as a write-in candidate spurred by the lack of Democratic opposition to a Republican candidate.

If elected, she hopes to make the county more transparent in its decision-making. She also wants to direct more money to social services, including organizations like OneEighty to address mental health, addiction and homelessness.

"I think a lot of this can be helped with transitional housing," she told attendees. "Programs like those at OneEighty are the backbones of the county, just as police, fire and EMS are."

If elected, DeMali would aim to provide more resources and funding to the Sheriff's Office, which she said has only two deputies patrolling the county.

"When I asked what they would want in the ideal world, they said more detectives," DeMali said.

The former school teacher and caretaker for her mother with Alzheimer's said she mostly wants to listen and help people if elected.

Voting for three judges

For Stevenson, among his biggest gripes with the current political climate, is the politicization of the judicial branch.

He has mixed feelings about party labels being listed on ballots but acknowledges that many people vote based on name association, so voting based on party affiliation isn't too different.

"If there is a Russo on the ballot, people may think, 'I went to school with a Russo, this must be his brother,'" Stevenson said. "I think most judges try to be nonpartisan."

His legal experience dates back to 1992 in nearly every realm of law, including pro bono work, he tries to remain neutral and true to the word of law.

He encouraged everyone to learn more about their judicial candidates by reading their profiles on judicialvotescount.org.

To find the 9th District Court of Appeals, navigate to "find your candidates" and the "Wayne" tab under "2022 General Election Candidates."

The story incorrectly stated that Scot Stevenson was a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Wayne County voters meet candidates at League of Women Voters forum