Former Councilman challenging three incumbents for Amherst Council at-large

Joseph R. Gambish Age: 51 Party: Republican Education: Amherst High School graduate; bachelor of arts degree from the University of Akron; minors in psychology and agronomy from The Ohio State University; attended Lorain County Community College Family: Wife of 25 years, Andrea; two children, Jordan and Joe Job history: Worked at Ford for 13 years; owned and operated Joe's Brewhouse in Amherst; owned Park Lanes Bowling Alley in Amherst in Amherst; currently works as operations manager for Ziggy's Pub and Restaurant in Amherst and SLEG LLC. David A. Janik Age: 55 Party: Democratic Education: Master's degree in higher education administration, Kent State University, 1996; bachelor of science in journalism, Kent State University, 1992 Family: Wife of 23 years, Jeana; children, Justin Stevens, 34; Hope Janik, 27; Logan Janik, 22; Sam Janik, 19 Job history: Lorain County Community College, academic adviser/business team, Enrollment Services, 2020 to present; worked for Ohio's public university system for more than 25 years Matt Nahorn Age: 35 Party: Republican Education: Lake Ridge Academy, 2008; bachelor's degree in environmental studies, Oberlin College, 2012 Family: Lifelong Amherst resident, single Job history: Current Amherst city councilman; property manager of my family's 20-acre wildlife preserve in Amherst; board member, Lorain County Historical Society Chuck Winiarski Age: 61 Party: Republican Education: Professional certifications related to my areas of responsibility Family: Married with children Job history: Project manager, planning, engineering and operations at Verizon Wireless. Voters will select three of four candidates to fill the at-large seats on Amherst Council this November. Incumbents David Janik, Matt Nahorn and Chuck Winiarski seek to hold their positions, while former Councilman Joseph Gambish wants to take on the role of Councilman-at-large once again. What makes you the best candidate for this position? Gambish: I have the best vision for Amherst. I see the challenges we have and the challenges we have faced. I have experience serving on Council. I was an at-large councilman from 2004 to 2006 and a third-ward councilman from 2008 to 2011. I was a Main Street Amherst board member and I served on the planning commission. My experience and dedication to the city, my passion, my proven track record as a hard worker all make me the best candidate. The life skills I have as a business owner, the struggles I faced, all help me understand what business owners are dealing with. Janik: I was born and raised in the city of Amherst and have a deep desire to give back to my community and serve in this capacity to ensure that Amherst remains a great place to live and raise a family. Among the current candidates, I have the most experience serving as a Council member and combined with my full-time work experience, serving the public as well. Together, let's keep Amherst Sandstone-Strong. Nahorn: As a current City Councilman, I continue to strive for efficient government, transparent to residents. I regularly walk our city, distributing informational literature pertinent to our community, talking with residents, and always returning emails and phone calls. I'm easily accessible to all who may have questions or concerns and am always glad to talk and listen. With my background in environmental studies, I appreciate the need for responsible development and conservation of natural resources. My prior terms on City Council and volunteer time with Amherst Historical Society have prepared me well to continue to serve our Amherst community. Winiarski: I work hard to research what City Council is discussing. I try to look at each issue as a clean slate and decide my vote on the merits of the issue. If you are looking for a person that works to form an opinion using facts and is not a rubber stamp, I would appreciate your vote. What is the biggest challenge facing the city and how would you address it? Gambish: We need commercial growth, which is less of a burden on city services than residential. We are becoming a bedroom community. The traffic situation on 58 also needs to be addressed. Traffic is getting worse and worse and nothing is happening. I want to make things easier for the people of Amherst. We're going to lose a lot of those businesses because people aren't going to go to them because it is inconvenient. We really need to think about how we're going to address the traffic on 58. We have to learn from our mistakes. The current Council is not being proactive. Janik: Our city's population has seen some significant growth. Growth is good; however, our infrastructure needs have increased. Residents have noticed that there's been more street and road closures due to infrastructure changes and repairs. The age of some of our water and sewer lines exceeds 50-plus years and many areas that should be connected to our community by sidewalks don't exist. I have experience with grant writing and can assist with securing funding to either pay for these updates or significantly offset the costs involved so the city and the residents don't have to pay as much through taxes. Nahorn: Amherst is well-positioned for a financially sound future, as a result of excellent cooperation between the current administration and City Council. In order to continue to be fiscally responsible, to ensure our current services are maintained, and that our utilities are fairly priced and easily accessible, we must maintain this current financial status. This means that continued responsible development is necessary. This must not only provide financial stability but be overall positive for all aspects of our community. We must maintain our beautiful small town, historically known as the Sandstone Center of the World. Winiarski: Long-term planning and expanded demand for services, tempered by revenue and staffing is the biggest issue facing the city. We really need to have an honest conversation about providing services to townships and if we continue to do so, what will that look like in five years.