Six Burton Village residents will be on the Nov. 7 ballot for four positions on Burton Village Council. Council members serve four years and are paid $100 per month.
Six Burton Village residents will be on the Nov. 7 ballot for four positions on Burton Village Council. Council members serve four years and are paid $100 per month.
Thomas Blair Sr.
An incumbent, Blair Sr., 72, of Carlton Street, said he is running for council again because he has a passion for the Village of Burton.
From 2008 to 2012, he served as village mayor. He owns Geauga Door Sales and Service Inc. in Burton and has lived in the village for more than 50 years. He is a graduate of Burton High School and attended trade school.
Blair said the top goals of the village council are dealing with the aging infrastructure and being able to pay for the work, promoting new businesses and supporting current businesses while keeping Burton productive and safe.
“I will continue to work with the village to ensure our goals,” he said.
Vicki Blair
Blair, 54, of Carlton Street, is deputy clerk for the Geauga County Recorder’s Office and graduated from Cardinal High School, the Academy of Court Reporting and Kent State University – Geauga.
As deputy clerk, Blair said she maintains and creates records, daily revenue and customer relations.
She is also treasurer of the Burton Middlefield Rotary and is responsible for the $43,000 budget. She also has a degree in law office management.
“Currently, the construction of a new sewer plant and how to pay for it without raising our taxes is the biggest challenge of Burton Village. I would like to work with federal, state and local officials and agencies to make that happen,” she said.
Building the sewer plant, supporting the KSU-Geauga and Berkshire Schools expansion program and improving communication between village residents and council are his goals for council, Blair said.
Ann Therese “Teri” Bullard
Bullard, 63, of Shannon Court, works at White House Chocolates in Burton Township.
She graduated from R.B. Chamberlin High School in Twinsburg and is a local business owner with a background in accounting and bookkeeping for a number of Geauga County businesses.
“I am not a politician, however, I am a leader with an ear and love for Burton Village, the community I live in. I have concerns about the lack of money available for our infrastructure,” she said. “I do not have an agenda, just a concern for the welfare of our village.”
Bullard said she would work to seek grants or private-sector funding to finance work on the infrastructure.
Her top goals would be taking residents’ concerns to council, financial responsibility and supporting the village’s fire and police department first responders.
“I am an extremely organized and detailed person capable of implementing plans,” she said, adding she has been involved with the Burton Chamber of Commerce since 1996 and has volunteered for many community activities and The Great Geauga County Fair.
Bonnie Lou Richards
Richards, 74, is a broker at ReMax Traditions and graduated from high school and attended college as well as having continuing education in real estate training.
“I want to help the village operate in a fiscally responsible manner,” she said.
Richards owned a concrete/welding business and a REM Estate franchise and is currently managing the REM Estate office and is a broker for five offices of about 120 realtors.
Having owned or managed businesses, she said she has experience dealing with the public on a daily basis.
The biggest challenges she sees for the village are infrastructure, fiscal integrity and common sense to meet the needs of the village, Richards said, adding her goals if elected would be infrastructure, economic accountability, supporting village businesses and encouraging more growth.
Ruth Spanos
Spanos, 49, of Hickox Street, has a degree in logic and computation from Carnegie-Mellon University and a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from Kent State University. She is a school speech-language pathologist.
“For over 20 years, I and my family have enjoyed the privilege of living in Burton Village. I hope to ensure that our village will remain a great place to live, work and raise a family,” she said.
Spanos said her education and experience in computation make her well-versed in the capabilities and limitations of computers and online systems.
One of the biggest challenges the council faces is working with the schools to decide if and where to build a new school within the village.
“This decision will have ramifications for our water and sewer systems as well as for the education of the next generation of children in our community. It will be essential to find a balance between the needs of students and families and the realities of being fiscally responsible,” she said.
Her top goals are to maintain the infrastructure within the budget, encourage residents to maintain their properties and develop additional communication channels with the public using the village website and social media.
“As a school speech-language pathologist, I am used to working with a team of professionals and parents to develop each child’s abilities. I have successfully dealt with regulatory demands, limited resources and families from all walks of life while keeping an eye on each child’s unique needs,” Spanos said.
Craig Ronyak
Ronyak did not submit answers to the Geauga County Maple Leaf election questionnaire.
