Fulton County Ohio Media

Current Swanton Village Council President, Derek Kania, has decided to run for another term as a Swanton Village Councilman and serve his community for another four years.  Below, Mr. Kania, or Senior Master Sergeant Kania, who serves in the 180^th Fighter Wing (180 FW) of the Ohio Air National Guard located at Toledo Express Airport, states his case to be reelected:

Lessons Learned from 4 Years on Council

April 28th, 2021, I was sitting in my hotel room at Ramstein Air Force Base writing to all of you in the Village, why I would like to be on Village Council. While most of what I wrote was a letter about who I was and where I came from, the last paragraph outlined what I would do IF I was elected in November of 2021. I aimed to bring more participation to Village Council meetings. I wanted all community members to have a stage to voice their concerns and their solutions to what was bothering them. I wanted to empower the elected officials to serve the community, not their own agendas. I can tell you after 4 years of Council, I feel this agenda has been moved in the right direction. For almost 4 years I have sat on Council and tried to push this community forward, and after 4 years I have learned a lot. So, I’d like to lay out 4 things that I have learned over the 4 years as one of your honored elected officials.

1. SLOW, SLOW, SLOW!!! After over 20 years of military service I should have known the government machine was slow whether it’s at the federal level or the local level. I’m an action-now kind of guy and that mentality doesn’t work with government. There are so many layers of legal, financial, and political protocols that MUST be adhered to just to purchase certain items, fix a road, or even hire someone. It took me a while to accept the speed at which certain things get done in government. The downside to this snail’s pace is what many of us see every day things don’t get fixed right away when reported, projects don’t start on time, and the list goes on and on. The other side of this slow but steady pace is that it allows all department heads to grasp the project at hand, financially obligate funds, or make sure the engineers have done their part. This slower pace is what gets projects done in a manner that doesn’t later burden the Village. If the Village operated at the pace many of us in the community would like, the Village would more than likely be broke from redundant projects, excessive spending just to get something done, and knee-jerk reactions to issues. Sometimes slowing down and having others look at the issue from different angles is the smarter way to get something done. It may not be fast, but it will get done.

2. BUDGET!! Oh boy, this was a fun topic to learn about. Growing up, balancing a checkbook could be difficult moving money from savings to checking and writing down that move for tracking purposes and then writing checks for bills and then later using an app on your phone to do that same thing. Governmental funding is another beast on a different level. Each department has their own accounts and sub-accounts, and there are transfers from one account to pay for another worker it can be very intimidating. Projects like Munson, Hallett, and Airport Hwy need loan and grant applications submitted and tracked, and then once a grant or loan is awarded, there are stipulations on how that money can be spent and, in some cases, it must be spent within certain timelines. All of this doesn’t even account for the investments, insurance, and retirement accounts that need to be tracked and reviewed by Council. Thankfully, we have a great finance guy that is able to break all this down into digestible information for all of us to… enjoy?!

3. TEAMWORK… Despite what the community thinks or what is said on social media, EVERY Village employee works hard to improve the Village. WRRF, Water, Public Service, Parks, Admin, FD, Police all strive to make this Village better. Each department works to create new ways to save time or money on given projects so that resources can be directed to help the community. Unfortunately, this side of the Village is only seen if you are part of the governmental workings of the Village. I had my own thoughts of how things operated at all these departments before I was on Council. However, between meetings and visits to facilities and numerous other communications with all of these members over the past 4 years, I can assure you they are working to improve the community.

4. THE COMMUNITY… When I first decided to run for Council four years ago, I talked about community because it was, and still is, the heart of everything. My family set roots here. We invested not just in a home, but in a future. And during my time on Council, I’ve had the incredible privilege to see just how deep and resilient Swanton’s sense of community really is. The Corn Fest Committee, Rotary, Lions Club, VFW, American Legion, Chamber of Commerce, SACC, and many more don’t just exist on paper. They’re filled with real people, your neighbors, who put in real work to make our town stronger, more compassionate, and more connected. Their commitment is inspiring. Whether it’s helping a family through a rough patch, organizing youth programs, fireworks, community festivals, or simply being a constant source of pride and positivity, these groups reflect the best of Swanton. The community is why I stay in Swanton; the community is what will always make Swanton great not the governing bodies, the community is what will hold this town together through hard times and celebrate the good.

Now that my term is almost up, I need to make a decision: do I pursue re-election or walk away and let someone else push Swanton forward? I’ve tossed this idea around for a few months and have had numerous conversations with my family and to be honest… with myself. My internal issues with re-election were geared around whether or not I still have more to give do I have another 4 years in me? I don’t want to be on Council and not be effective. My daughter asked if I had made a decision on running again. I told her I hadn’t made a decision, she then looked at me and said, “Dad, I think you should do it again. You have more to give. You can make things happen.” I just looked at her, with this weird liquid welling up in my eyes and said, “You’re right. I’m not done yet.” So, after all is said, I’m asking all of you once again to please support me on my quest for re-election to Village Council. My loving wife has again agreed to support me on this endeavor and will be collecting signatures for my petition that must be submitted in early August. So, if you’d like to support me continuing on Village Council, and are a Village resident, please come to CK Sweets located at 95 S. Main St. in Swanton and sign the petition. I’ll also set up some time to collect them as well and meet with some of you. Thank you all for the time, and your support.

Derek Kania

Current Swanton Village Council President, Derek Kania, has decided to run for another term as a Swanton Village Councilman and serve his community for another four years.  Below, Mr. Kania, or Senior Master Sergeant Kania, who serves in the 180^th Fighter Wing (180 FW) of the Ohio Air National Guard located at Toledo Express Airport, states his case to be reelected:

Lessons Learned from 4 Years on Council

April 28th, 2021, I was sitting in my hotel room at Ramstein Air Force Base writing to all of you in the Village, why I would like to be on Village Council. While most of what I wrote was a letter about who I was and where I came from, the last paragraph outlined what I would do IF I was elected in November of 2021. I aimed to bring more participation to Village Council meetings. I wanted all community members to have a stage to voice their concerns and their solutions to what was bothering them. I wanted to empower the elected officials to serve the community, not their own agendas. I can tell you after 4 years of Council, I feel this agenda has been moved in the right direction. For almost 4 years I have sat on Council and tried to push this community forward, and after 4 years I have learned a lot. So, I’d like to lay out 4 things that I have learned over the 4 years as one of your honored elected officials.

1. SLOW, SLOW, SLOW!!! After over 20 years of military service I should have known the government machine was slow whether it’s at the federal level or the local level. I’m an action-now kind of guy and that mentality doesn’t work with government. There are so many layers of legal, financial, and political protocols that MUST be adhered to just to purchase certain items, fix a road, or even hire someone. It took me a while to accept the speed at which certain things get done in government. The downside to this snail’s pace is what many of us see every day things don’t get fixed right away when reported, projects don’t start on time, and the list goes on and on. The other side of this slow but steady pace is that it allows all department heads to grasp the project at hand, financially obligate funds, or make sure the engineers have done their part. This slower pace is what gets projects done in a manner that doesn’t later burden the Village. If the Village operated at the pace many of us in the community would like, the Village would more than likely be broke from redundant projects, excessive spending just to get something done, and knee-jerk reactions to issues. Sometimes slowing down and having others look at the issue from different angles is the smarter way to get something done. It may not be fast, but it will get done.

2. BUDGET!! Oh boy, this was a fun topic to learn about. Growing up, balancing a checkbook could be difficult moving money from savings to checking and writing down that move for tracking purposes and then writing checks for bills and then later using an app on your phone to do that same thing. Governmental funding is another beast on a different level. Each department has their own accounts and sub-accounts, and there are transfers from one account to pay for another worker it can be very intimidating. Projects like Munson, Hallett, and Airport Hwy need loan and grant applications submitted and tracked, and then once a grant or loan is awarded, there are stipulations on how that money can be spent and, in some cases, it must be spent within certain timelines. All of this doesn’t even account for the investments, insurance, and retirement accounts that need to be tracked and reviewed by Council. Thankfully, we have a great finance guy that is able to break all this down into digestible information for all of us to… enjoy?!

3. TEAMWORK… Despite what the community thinks or what is said on social media, EVERY Village employee works hard to improve the Village. WRRF, Water, Public Service, Parks, Admin, FD, Police all strive to make this Village better. Each department works to create new ways to save time or money on given projects so that resources can be directed to help the community. Unfortunately, this side of the Village is only seen if you are part of the governmental workings of the Village. I had my own thoughts of how things operated at all these departments before I was on Council. However, between meetings and visits to facilities and numerous other communications with all of these members over the past 4 years, I can assure you they are working to improve the community.

4. THE COMMUNITY… When I first decided to run for Council four years ago, I talked about community because it was, and still is, the heart of everything. My family set roots here. We invested not just in a home, but in a future. And during my time on Council, I’ve had the incredible privilege to see just how deep and resilient Swanton’s sense of community really is. The Corn Fest Committee, Rotary, Lions Club, VFW, American Legion, Chamber of Commerce, SACC, and many more don’t just exist on paper. They’re filled with real people, your neighbors, who put in real work to make our town stronger, more compassionate, and more connected. Their commitment is inspiring. Whether it’s helping a family through a rough patch, organizing youth programs, fireworks, community festivals, or simply being a constant source of pride and positivity, these groups reflect the best of Swanton. The community is why I stay in Swanton; the community is what will always make Swanton great not the governing bodies, the community is what will hold this town together through hard times and celebrate the good.

Now that my term is almost up, I need to make a decision: do I pursue re-election or walk away and let someone else push Swanton forward? I’ve tossed this idea around for a few months and have had numerous conversations with my family and to be honest… with myself. My internal issues with re-election were geared around whether or not I still have more to give do I have another 4 years in me? I don’t want to be on Council and not be effective. My daughter asked if I had made a decision on running again. I told her I hadn’t made a decision, she then looked at me and said, “Dad, I think you should do it again. You have more to give. You can make things happen.” I just looked at her, with this weird liquid welling up in my eyes and said, “You’re right. I’m not done yet.” So, after all is said, I’m asking all of you once again to please support me on my quest for re-election to Village Council. My loving wife has again agreed to support me on this endeavor and will be collecting signatures for my petition that must be submitted in early August. So, if you’d like to support me continuing on Village Council, and are a Village resident, please come to CK Sweets located at 95 S. Main St. in Swanton and sign the petition. I’ll also set up some time to collect them as well and meet with some of you. Thank you all for the time, and your support.

Derek Kania