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Sunday, November 17, 2024

Erie resident says city election should focus on local fiscal issues, not national or global problems

Percell1

Jeff Percell | Submitted

Jeff Percell | Submitted

The Erie town election is nonpartisan, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t clear differences between the candidates.

For Jeff Percell, who has lived in the area for nearly 40 years, the last five in Erie, what matters most are the issues that take precedence for candidates. He said local matters, not national or world concerns, must come first.

“As an Erie resident, I'm interested in ensuring that our town and government has solid leadership that will guide our community as it continues to grow,” Percell said.

Mayor Jennifer Carroll is seeking a second two-year term and is opposed by current Trustee Christiaan Van Woudenberg and challenger Barry Lunginbill.

There are eight candidates for three trustee seats: Bryon Bednar, Brandon Bell, Ari David, Greene Harrison, Dan Hoback, James Lee, Sara Loflin, Jim Luthi and Andrew Sawusch.

Todd Sargent withdrew from the trustee election. The terms of Mayor Pro-Tem Geoff Deakin and Trustees Scott Charles and Dan Woog end this year.

It’s a mail-in election, with voting ending Tuesday. Percell said a lot of people have already cast their ballots; he knows who he thinks is best for Erie.

“For trustee, I'm supporting Brandon Bell, Andrew Sawusch and Jim Luthi,” he said. “For mayor, I'm supporting Barry Luginbill. These candidates are all pushing for fiscal responsibility, transparency and prioritizing Erie's interests first.”

Erie’s government made an embarrassing and costly mistake last fall.

The town received an email bill on Oct. 21 reportedly from SEMA Construction, the firm that built the new Erie Parkway bridge. Erie administrator Malcolm Fleming said the town did not check on the bill's validity before issuing a pair of payments totaling 1,016,233.80.

Town officials soon learned the money was taken by scammers and sent overseas.

Percell, who serves on the Erie Sustainability Advisory Board, said that mistake points to the overwhelming need for leaders with financial acumen. He works for a financial technology firm.

“The most important issue is fiscal responsibility and transparency. There has been a lot of turnover in the town in the last two years and major issues with fiscal oversight that led to the town being a victim of fraud in excess of $1 million,” he said. “Erie has been faced with a massive amount of residential growth, but the commercial development has not kept up. In order to keep our community strong, we need leaders who will focus on the right priorities — those in the best interest of the Erie residents and community.”

He said the campaign has been illuminating.

“I've seen a key difference in transparency and focus on solving local problems. There are several candidates in the race who are too focused on trying to tackle issues that are way beyond the scope of what should be solved at a local government level with a local budget,” Percell said. “After the first campaign finance reporting period it's clear there is one trustee candidate that is well funded with money from outside interests in Sara Loflin, who I believe has a background as a lobbyist. And in terms of mayoral candidates, there was no transparency into campaign contributions, except for from Barry Luginbill.

“Barry is a local guy, helps coach Erie football at the high school, and has strong leadership qualities. I've been super impressed with Andrew and how much he understands the issues facing the town, as well as how he has led his campaign.”

Percell said that is why he strongly supports those four candidates.

“I believe together Barry, Brandon, Andrew and Jim are the right leadership to bring needed transparency and fiscal responsibility to the town — leading our town, prioritizing community and safety while balancing continued growth and development,” he said.

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