Fulton County Ohio Media

It has been 10 years since the Village of Swanton held a “contested election” for its Village Council, meaning there were more candidates on the ballot than open seats.  Simply put, not since November of 2015 have the voters of Swanton had a real choice in who would make decisions on how the Village was being run, how their tax money was being spent and what ordinances were being passed into law.  Without opposition, it takes just one vote to be elected, rendering the election to be no choice at all. 

And, like they say, elections have consequences.  The uncontested election of 2017 seated two members, one of which was defeated in 2015, who were anti-business, anti-progress and, arguably worst of all, anti-transparency.  What followed was four years of overall stagnation to the point of regression for the residents of Swanton and its business community.  Even when the devastating effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic hit, this Council held fast against legislative changes to help the local economy.

Fortunately, several local residents organized a grass-roots movement and recruited four civic-minded individuals to run in the 2021 election against any of the four incumbents who decided to campaign for another term.  Wisely, each of the incumbents declined to seek reelection.  This did create another uncontested election however; the four new candidates went out to the public and stated their case to be voted in.  The 2021 elected council was seated in January of 2022 and within a few short months, made major legislative changes to improve economic opportunities, transparency and community involvement during council meetings.

In less than three weeks, Swanton voters will see six names on their Village Council ballot and will be asked to select four.  They are, as listed in order on the ballot:  Deacon D. Dzierzawski, Stephen Kasprzak, Noah Kreuz, Patrick Messenger, Dave Pilliod, and Patricia Pilliod. 

There have been a number of local Facebook postings inquiring about the qualifications of the candidates and where they may be able to find them.  The answers to the questions are crucial to informing the voters allowing them to make, in their opinion, the best choice(s).  What is certain is that it is not the responsibility of the Swanton Village Administration to respond to those inquiries.  It is the sole responsibility of each candidate to inform the public of their credentials that would make them the smartest choice.  That being said, it is also incumbent on each voter to make a concerted effort to find information on the candidates that has been published, whether it be on social media, print or broadcast media or perhaps, have expressed in a town hall or debate setting.

For almost four years now, the Village has been live-streaming and archiving all of its council meetings.  If you had been tuning in during these meetings, you would have witnessed the incumbents in this election and how they handled and voted on issues and how they interacted with the mayor and fellow council members.  This transparency would have given you great insight into their capability to hold the office.  Most of the candidates have also posted their qualifications on Facebook while asking you for your support.  The bottom line is, the information is out there and easily accessible.  And there is about to be another great opportunity to learn about the candidates early next week.

This coming Tuesday, October 21^st, the Swanton Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a Village Council Candidate Town Hall from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at Birchwood Meadows Wedding and Event Venue, 10 Turtle Creek Circle, just off Airport Highway in Swanton.  Moderated by Julia Benfield, the town hall is designed to give residents the opportunity to hear directly from all candidates running for the Swanton Village Council.

The format will include: ● Equal opening remarks from each candidate. ● A moderated Q&A with questions submitted in advance by the community. ● Equal closing remarks from each candidate.

The Swanton Area Chamber of Commerce is a non-partisan organization, is not affiliated with The Swanton Village Administration and does not endorse or oppose any candidate or political party. The purpose of this event is to ensure that residents have direct access to candidates and the information they need to make informed decisions on Election Day. Community members are encouraged to attend and participate in this important discussion.

Collectively, the amount of information available from the sources listed above should be more than enough to evaluate each candidate and make an informed decision on November 4, 2025.  Hopefully, every voter will educate themselves on the choices and vote to continue the positive momentum of the current council.