Delta High School senior Lane Lopez fired a school record 70 at White Pines Golf Course yesterday and his fellow golfers followed suit, combining for a team record 306 in an 18-hole tri-match against Fayette and Hilltop high schools. The double record-setting performance led to a very easy 68-stroke victory over Fayette’s 374 and 108 strokes better than Hilltop’s 414.
In addition to the 70 shot by Lopez, Keegan Clapp had a 74, Brady Kile fired a 79, Luke Spiess with an 83, Dylan Funk finished with a 94 and Sullivan O’Brien came in with a 106. Congratulations Boys Golf Team and Coach Bob Schrock!
Photo: Lane Lopez is congratulated by Coach Bob Schrock for his score of 70. The 2026 Delta Panthers broke the school record with a 306
Earlier this year, the Shortland family of four from the United Kingdom (UK), England to be specific, travelled to America to experience the United States in a very up close and personal way. Recently, they, husband Tom, wife Ros and boys, Lawrie, who is 10, and Wilfy, who is 4, stopped in the very welcoming community of Fayette in Fulton County Ohio. They are an obviously adventurous family as Tom explains in his own words below:
We are from the south west of the UK in Devon but migrated to Portugal for a better quality of life for our oldest son in 2019. Since we moved to Portugal, we have had another son and connected with so many people, travelled all the way up to Norway again, spent last winter in Sri Lanka then came up with the crazy idea of buying an RV in the USA and hitting the road with no real plan. So far everything is working out great and we have fallen in love with the USA. We hope one day to be able to legally move here. Specifically, to northern Idaho. We absolutely love it up there!
So far on this trip we have travelled more than 8,000 miles through 18 states, visiting cities, small towns and communities across the country. We have met some wonderful people along the way, but after spending a few days in Fayette we felt we had to tell someone locally just how much this little village has stood out.
We originally came to Fayette because Mayor Dave Borer had added an overnight RV stop in the village through Harvest Hosts. Fayette was somewhere we might otherwise have simply driven past, but we enjoyed it so much that we decided to stay another night. The following day we met Dave and his wife Mary, who immediately made us feel welcome and gave us lots of suggestions for places to visit locally.
That evening, severe weather moved into the area and tornado warnings started appearing on our phones. Coming from the UK, tornadoes are not something we have much experience with, particularly while living in an RV. We texted Dave to ask what we should do. He came straight over.
Dave drove ahead of our RV and personally showed us the way to a local church, where we sheltered safely in the basement with around a dozen members of the community. A lady at the church, whose name, unfortunately, we didn’t get, immediately made sure everyone was comfortable. She found pencils and pens for the boys to draw with and did a wonderful job of keeping everyone calm and in good spirits.
Dave was outside with the Fire Chief during the storm and, once the all-clear had been given, came back to the church to check that everybody was okay. We already thought that was an extraordinary way to treat a visiting family, but the kindness continued the next day.
Mary had recommended a nearby thrift store where our four-year-old Wilfy found a child’s fire chief costume. Naturally, he wore it for the rest of the day. Later we visited Normal Memorial Library. The staff were incredibly welcoming, the head librarian gave the boys dinosaur activity packs, and they spent a brilliant time playing with LEGO, looking through Minecraft books and reading in the children’s library.
Mary happened to come into the library and saw Wilfy dressed as a fire chief. She said she would try to find him a fireman’s hat. We told her not to go to any trouble. About thirty minutes later she came back with fire-themed gifts and fire helmets for both boys.
Mary also suggested that we visit the Fayette Fire Department. After lunch we went down and were given a fantastic tour. The firefighters showed the boys around, explained how everything worked and let them sit inside the fire engines.
The Police Chief then came down and let Lawrie hold a riot shield, sit inside his police pickup and turn on the sirens. The Fire Chief also came to meet us and was wonderful with Wilfy, who was still proudly dressed in his little fire chief outfit. Before we left, he even gave the boys a fire-themed water pistol.
After travelling more than 8,000 miles around America, what struck us about Fayette was that it wasn’t simply one or two people being friendly. It seemed to be everybody. People wave as you pass. The park and splash pad are lovely. The library is fantastic. We enjoyed the local pizza. The police and fire departments were incredibly welcoming and proud to show the boys what they do.
Dave’s decision to put Fayette on Harvest Hosts also seems like a brilliant example of how a small community can encourage travellers to stop rather than simply drive through. It certainly worked with us. We arrived looking for somewhere to spend the night. We stayed longer, used local businesses, explored the village, met the people who live there and are leaving with a genuine affection for Fayette. After 18 states, it takes something pretty special for a small village to stand out this much.
Photo: The Shortland Family – Tom, Larrie, Wilfy and Ros
At last Monday’s Swanton Village Council meeting, Mayor Neil Toeppe read the following statement, challenging the Council to focus on “Fiscal Responsibility” and provided the members with an expanded definition of the term as it relates to the Village and the obligations of their position. Mayor Toeppe’s full statement is below:
Fiscal Responsibility: More Than Cutting Costs
This Council has rightly focused on the importance of operating the Village within our means. At the same time, we have a responsibility to continue providing the services our residents expect and, in some cases, to meet unfunded mandates that place additional pressure on our reserves. Fortunately, many of those major unfunded obligations have now been addressed. We are in a position to begin rebuilding our reserves while continuing to provide essential services. We have accomplished this without borrowing, issuing bonds, or increasing taxes.
But fiscal responsibility is about more than controlling expenditures. It is also about growing the economic base that supports the services our residents expect. Over the past several years, the Village has taken important steps in that direction.
After a three-year process, we have finalized the annexation of the remaining 30-plus acres of developable land into the Village. Combined with land already available, we now have more than 200 acres with potential for industrial and economic development. We have also established a Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) to make Swanton more competitive in attracting industrial and residential investment. These actions are not simply about development. They are about the long-term fiscal health of the Village.
There are essentially two sides to fiscal responsibility: 1. Live within our means. Control expenditures, prioritize services, manage debt responsibly, and protect our reserves. 2. Grow our means. Expand the tax base, attract investment, encourage development, and create opportunities for future economic growth. We cannot successfully focus on only one side of that equation.
This brings me to a challenge for Council: What is your collective vision for the economic future of Swanton? It is not enough to say that we need to reduce spending. Council also needs to identify where it wants the Village to go and what policies it is prepared to support to get us there. There is an old saying: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.”
Council sets the direction of the Village through its legislative actions. The administration is responsible for implementing that direction. That becomes difficult when the administration knows what Council wants to avoid but does not know what Council collectively wants to accomplish.
To date, we have heard a great deal about operating within our means. That is important and necessary. But we have not yet seen a clearly articulated, collective vision for growing the economic base of the Village. And Council should recognize that it already has a powerful role in shaping that future: Council approves the budget under which the administration operates.
So, the question is not whether Swanton should be fiscally responsible. We all agree that it should. The question is whether fiscal responsibility will be defined solely as spending less—or whether it will also include creating the conditions that allow Swanton to generate more. I challenge this Council to develop and articulate a collective vision for economic growth.
A Possible Council Vision Statement. I think Council could ultimately work toward something as simple as:
“Our vision is to make Swanton a financially strong, economically vibrant, safe, attractive, and connected community—one that responsibly invests in its infrastructure, supports its residents and businesses, protects its quality of life, and creates opportunities for the next generation.”
The bigger question for Council. I would challenge Council to move the conversation from: “What can we afford to do?” to: “What do we want Swanton to become, and what will it take to get there?” Then the financial question becomes: “How do we responsibly fund that vision?” That distinction is important. A budget tells you what you can do this year. A vision tells you what you are trying to accomplish over the next 10–15 years.
Tell the administration—and more importantly, tell the residents of Swanton—where you want this Village to be five, ten, and twenty years from now. We have worked hard to put the tools in place: developable land, expanded corporate limits, a CRA, responsible financial management, and a strong foundation of municipal services.
Now we need the vision to put those tools to work. The future of Swanton should not be defined simply by what we can cut. It should also be defined by what we can build.
Photo: Mayor Toeppe reads his statement to Council
Swanton Village Councilman Deacon Dzierzawski, recently accused of micromanaging the Village Administration by several individuals, was called to task by fellow Councilman John Schmidt for similar issues during Monday night’s emotionally-charged and tension-filled Village Council meeting. Mr. Dzierzawski’s demands on the previous Fiscal Officer Holden Benfield’s time were given, in part, by Mr. Holden, for his resignation in March of this year. Similar demands on Village Administrator Shannon Shulters’ time were also given, in part, by Ms. Shulters, for her impending resignation which is scheduled to take effect on August 31st.
Statements regarding the current state of affairs of the Council were read by Mayor Neil Toeppe, Administrator Shulters, and Councilwoman Westhoven. Following those statements Mr. Schmidt spoke. “I have been relatively quiet over the past few months regarding to recent events and comments made in the public gallery. And I have reached a point where I can no longer maintain that silence,” he said. Councilman Schmidt then read a prepared statement which is below in its entirety:
“Councilman Dzierzawski’s heavy reliance on the Ohio Municipal League over the Ohio Revised Code, the Ohio Auditor of State and the Ohio Attorney General’s office is misguided, without merit and simply wrong. The Ohio Municipal League may be experts, but they are NOT the authority. He has quoted precedent and accepted practice for his actions since winning the election in 2025. I question where “precedent and accepted practice” were established; certainly not here in the Village of Swanton. Therefore, there can be no existence of “precedent” or “accepted practice” in Swanton.
Nowhere in the Ohio Revised Code does it state or delineate the authority of individual council members. In fact, the ORC continually refers to the “legislative authority” which is the council body as a whole. The only exception is the President Pro Tempore, and the duties that member carries out in the absence or incapacitation of the mayor.
Each member of this Council is a representative of the people, chosen by the electors to represent them in matters of legislation and oversight (side note: oversight does NOT mean management; it means supervision or watchful care). That legislation and oversight happen only at meetings of the village Council. No individual member has that authority outside Council chambers. Once a meeting has ended and a member leaves the Council chambers, he or she is John Q. Public, with no more authority than any other citizen of the village, and with the same rights.
I’d offer Councilman during the emotionally charged and tension-filled Village Council meeting this advice: Stay within the rules outlined in the Ohio Revised Code, the Village Officer’s Handbook, by the Auditor of State and the Attorney General’s office; stay within the boundaries of the Village Council; and raise questions and concerns during meetings of the Council.
It is no secret that Councilman Dzierzawski’s aggressive and ostentatious nature has created a toxic environment within the village administration. That environment has been filled with mistrust and apprehension. He claims it is “absurd” to believe that the resignation of the Fiscal Officer and the Village Administrator can blamed on him or his position or his actions.
Councilman Dzierzawski campaigned last year on a platform of transparency, yet he has not released any emails or documentation he generated or received from any of the village administrative or department heads.
In that regard, I would make a motion that Councilman Dzierzawski release to every member of this Council any and all emails to Village administrative team, safety chiefs and department heads, any handwritten notes of phone conversations, any email responses from them, any reports or any other documentation in his possession regarding budgets, personnel, equipment and or operations before the next meeting of Swanton Village Council scheduled for August 24, 2026.”
Councilman Dave Pilliod spoke next, defending Mr. Dzierzawski’s questions to the Administration during business hours but did not comment on the overall quantity or the hours spent researching for answers. He did encourage his fellow Council members to try and move past the recent disagreements and work together for the Village’s benefit.
Editor’s Note: This meeting, like all Swanton government meetings, can be viewed on the Village’s Facebook page.
Photo: Swanton Village Council (L to R) – Dave Pilliod, John Schmidt, Deacon Dzierawski, Shannon Shulters, Neil Toeppe, Dianne Westhoven, Pat Pilliod, Noah Kreuz
On Saturday afternoon, at Memorial Park during the Swanton Corn Festival, the Swanton Rotary Interact students made a generous donation of $700 to Swanton Local School District’s Backpack Buddies Program. Interact raised the funds by holding a Swanton Middle School dance earlier this year.
Representing the Interact students were Julianna Avery and Ellie Sgro, and representing the Backpack Buddies was program administrator and long-time Swanton Schools educator, Chris Elliot. Ms. Elliot thanked the NHS and was very appreciated of the donation.
Backpack Buddies is a community-based initiative designed to support children who may not have reliable access to food outside of school. The program provides weekend food packs containing healthy, easy-to-prepare meals, snacks, and sometimes personal care or educational items, helping children return to school ready to learn and thrive
As we all know, food prices have risen dramatically the past few years along with other necessary items such as fuel and medical insurance. Some food pantries and organizations that sponsor community meals have scaled back operations citing the cost of food. Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits have been frozen in place by the Trump Administration until October 1, 2027, meaning there will be no increases in benefits until then, even as food costs continue to rise. Donations such as this by the NHS are becoming even more critical.
Photo: Chris Elliot (Center) receives the check from Julianna Avery (Right) along with Ellie Sgro (Left)
On Monday afternoon, the Delta Lady Panthers lost out to the Swanton Lady Bulldogs by a single stroke, 202-203, in an NWOAL golf match at their home, White Pines Golf course. Delta’s Mackenzie Grahn captured Medalist Honors, carding a score of 41, four strokes ahead of Swanton’s Raegan Rominski at 45. Only the top four scores are factored into the team total.
Swanton Lady Bulldogs: Raegan Rominski (45), Audrey McFarland (51), Audrey Carte (52), Gabbie Orner (54), Jocelyn Villagomez (61), Ellie Sgro (68), Total = 202
Delta Lady Panthers: Mackenzie Grahn (41), Aubree Perdew (50), Sophie Ford (56), Aleiya Moore (56), Ana Gilders (61), Madelyn Lowe (70), Total = 203
Click on the link above to access photos from the match. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded and shared for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Photo: Two Delta golfers (Left) and two Swanton golfers (Right) waiting to tee off.
From the Color Run to the All-Class Reunion to the Parade to all the great activities at Memorial Park, the 2026 Swanton Corn Fest Committee orchestrated a fabulous and memorable three days of fun for the Greater Swanton Community. Congratulations and thank you to Chairs Alyssa Walberg and Stephanie Fessenden and the rest of the hard working committee members who volunteered countless hours for the benefit of all those who attended.
Click on the link above to access photos from the Memorial Park activities. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be down loaded and shared for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Almost five months after the position of Fiscal Officer became vacant, the Swanton Village Council hired Joyce Marie Elmore, currently employed as a Senior Accountant by the Robert Half Human Resource Consulting Firm out of Perrysburg. Ms. Elmore and her colleague Ryan Larzelere appeared before Council during a Special Council meeting offering her services Elmore at a rate of $91.00 per hour with a minimum of 37.5 hours per week and a contract of no less than six weeks or a total of $20,475. Shortly after that meeting, Ms. Elmore applied to the Village for the Fiscal Officer’s position. During the Executive Session at last evening’s Council meeting, Council rejected the offer from the consulting firm and accepted Ms. Elmore’s application.
The special meeting was called after a plea for help by Village Administrator Shannon Shulters who had assumed the Fiscal Officer responsibilities in the interim. “Over the past several months, I have reached a level of burnout that I can no longer ignore. Time is the one thing none of us ever gets back, and this position has required me to sacrifice an extraordinary amount of mine. I have missed time with my family, evenings, weekends, holidays, and countless personal moments because I believed the Village came first. While I accepted those sacrifices for a season, they cannot become a permanent expectation,” explained Ms. Shulters.
The Robert Half Consulting Firm spoke highly of Ms. Elmore and her qualifications: Joyce Marie is a highly skilled Senior Accountant with a strong knowledge of full-cycle accounting. She has experience with AP/AR, general ledger, journal entries, month-end & year-end close reconciliations, fixed assets, payroll, financial analysis, Sales & Use Tax, reconciliations and creating SOPs. Joyce Marie is a hard worker with an incredible drive and a wonderful personality.
Proficiencies – AP/AR, Cash applications, Collections (consumer & B2B), Journal Entries, Reconciliations, General Ledger, Sales & Use Tax, Payroll, Creating SOPs, Month-end Journal Entries Industry Experience – Manufacturing, Non-Profit, Automotive, Restaurant, Agriculture Software Knowledge – SAP, QuickBooks, Excel, Great Plains, JD Edwards, Kronos, AS400, Adobe, QAD, Atlas, CorelDraw, Publisher Education: BA in Accounting, University of Toledo.
Ms. Elmore will begin working for the Village on Monday, August 17th, with an annual salary of $73,000 following a background check and drug screening. No compensation to the consulting firm was required.
Photo: New Village Fiscal Officer Joyce Marie Elmore on the right
The streak of fabulous Swanton Corn Festival Parades continued this past Saturday morning as three rivers of entertainment from the Swanton Sports Center, Brookside Drive and the Swanton High School driveway converged onto Main Street at 10:30 PM and headed east for 60 minutes of showtime for a large excited crowd.
Parade Chair Hannah Gombash, along with Taylor Riester and the rest of the parade committee, once again, put together an amazing lineup for all the Swanton area residents and hundreds of visitors from around Northwest Ohio who were fortunate enough to witness the event.
The theme for this year’s parade was the celebration of America’s 250th Birthday and serving as the Grand Marshal was the Ohio Air National Guard 180th Fighter Wing stationed at Toledo Express Airport. For the second consecutive year, Tri-County Block and Brick was voted First Place in the Best Float competition. The Swanton Sports Center was chosen for Second Place and Kesters ‘Tis the Season grabbed the Third Place prize.
Click on the link above to access well over 700 photos from the parade. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded and shared for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountumedia.com website.
About an hour before the start of the Swanton Corn Festival’s 2026 Color Run, the weather looked like it could ruin the evening’s good time. There was thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening. Fortunately, the skies calmed down and the show went on.
Click on the link above to access photos from night’s craziness. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded and shared for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
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