Three incumbents, one challenger seek Wellington Village Council seats (UPDATED)

Editor's Note: Stephen Boham did not respond to a Chronicle-Telegram questionnaire by the print deadline, but did later send his responses, which have now been included here. Stephen Boham Age: No age given Education: Big Walnut High School, Sunbury, Ohio; U.S. Army; accounting and finance degree Family: Married to Donna S. (Johnson) Boham. Son Stephen Jr. and daughter Jennifer (Boham) Rowland Job history: retired; U.S. Army specialist during Vietnam, 2nd Logistical Command; tool and die journeyman; controller for Contractors Inc., Lorain; owner, Moon Precision Machine & Tool, Elyria; owner, Elyria Machining Institute, Elyria; Mark Bughman Age: 63 Education: Bowling Green State University, 1984; Wellington High School, 1979 Family: Single. Job history: Self-employed independent commercial/residential contractor in the building trades; interior/exterior designer, sound engineer and handyman for Nationwide Arena in Columbus and North Coast Event Services in Cleveland; Wellington Wastewater Treatment Plant and Public Works; high school teacher and college instructor; architectural engineering millwork designer/detailer/manufacturer; networking engineer detailer/product manager Helen Dronsfield Age: 78 Education: Master's degree in supervision, Ashland University; education degree, Ohio University; Wellington High School Family: Two daughters; five grandchildren Job history: Retired Wellington Schools teacher; former instructor, Teacher Education Exploration program, Lorain County Joint Vocational School. Guy Wells Age: 75 Education: Master's and doctorate degrees, Cornell University; Duke University Family: Single. Sixth-generation Wellington resident. Job history: President, Wells Agency, Inc., 1982-2007; part-time college teaching at Kent State, Lorain County Community College, Baldwin Wallace University, 2004-2012; member, Wellington Village Council, 1994-present. Four candidates, including three incumbents, are running for three seats on Wellington Village Council in the Nov. 7 election. Incumbent Council members Guy Wells, Helen Dronsfield and Mark Bughman are running to retain their seats in the nonpartisan race. The lone challenger is Stephen Boham. Council members serve four-year terms. Bughman, Dronsfield and Wells were the top three vote-getters in the 2019 election. What makes you the best candidate for the position? BOHAM: Dignity, honor and determination with willingness are a candidate's greatest attributes. My background and knowledge of accounting and business principles and organizational skills help me work closely with others. Have dealt with government agencies. Served on the Private Industry Council of Lorain County in partnership with the Lorain County Commissioners. BUGHMAN: As a member of Village Council since 2016, my goal is to remain transparent, basing my decisions on what will help our village expand, grow through improved departments, ongoing renovations and upgrades. I strive to be vigilant with issues that pertain to the safety and welfare of the community. My past work experience at the wastewater treatment plant and public works gives me the knowledge to keep our villages infrastructure in excellent condition. I strongly believe my dedication, volunteerism and hard work benefits the village, the residents and the Wellington school district. DRONSFIELD: I have been on Council for over 20 years. That experience is invaluable as we continue to make Wellington a safe and enjoyable place to live and raise children. Being a member of Council requires dedication and a responsibility to the citizens of Wellington to be as well informed as possible and provide the most up-to-date information coming from the county and state governments. I have served the citizens of Wellington in a positive, helpful and progressive manner. I hope to continue as a member of the Wellington Council. WELLS: I'm proud of my role for nearly 30 years in getting things built — the Metro Park, the railroad underpass and quiet zones, downtown sidewalks and parking lots, a vastly improved police force and its new headquarters, all serving our safety and quality of life every day. Many of these will always be works in progress — work I'd like to continue to help make possible. Above all, I love Wellington's unique spirit of friendliness and civility. They've nurtured me and countless Wellington people all my life. Keeping these safe and alive for future generations will be our greatest legacy. What is the biggest challenge facing the village and how would you address it? BOHAM: A candidate for Wellington Village Council's first priority must be to the people of the community. Establish and maintain needed infrastructure, and services that support public safety and quality of life for residents and businesses. With keeping necessary costs in line with our income. Economic growth is always on the forefront. BUGHMAN: Our biggest challenge facing the village is rebuilding our water plant lab after the fire, replacing our outdated water meters, gaining our knowledge of water usage both at the residental and commercial level. The final item we always face is repairing and replacing our streets. The solution to these challenges are being addressed through our insurance company on the fire, an independent study on what system/company is replacing our water meters and being persistent through a study for maintaining/replacing our streets. DRONSFIELD: The biggest challenge that faces the Council is how to live within the budget. We provide many services to our residents. It is my responsibility to make sure we are handling the finances of the village appropriately. It is a very difficult task. Each department in our village has requirements that must be maintained to a high standard. Preparation and experience make me ready to continue to handle the challenges that the village will face. WELLS: Our infrastructure needs work. We need to keep up our efforts to fix aging streets and expand/upgrade water and electrical capacity. These are essential to keeping and attracting the industry we need, and expanding the industrial park. Also, as technology evolves, we need to update our zoning and building codes to reflect changing technologies, especially in home electrical generation and accommodating the growing use of electric cars. Above all, we need to invest in the great people working in our departments. They are our greatest assets. Without them, we can do nothing. — Dave O'Brien