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Volume 52, No. 12
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CHESTERLAND NEWS Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Your Community Newspaper Since 1967
Voters Retain Radtke, Choose Claypool Over Kolk Jarrett Beats Richter for Fiscal Officer By Cassandra Shofar cassandra@geaugamapleleaf.com
Chester Township residents will see a couple new faces at the helm of their government come January. On Nov. 5, voters chose Walter “Skip” Claypool to join the Chester Township Trustees — he received 1,240 votes against candidate Frank Kolk’s 962 votes — while
they also chose to retain Trustee Ken Radtke, who received 1,304 votes against his opponent, Michael Petruziello’s 1,140 votes, according to the final unofficial results of the Geauga County Board of Elections. Fiscal Officer Craig Richter, who had 1,002 votes, lost to opponent Patricia Jarrett, who had 1,441 votes, according to the board of elections.
“I was relieved and very happy to receive the results. I and my supporters worked hard,” said Claypool Nov. 6. “I was out picking up signs and Radtke not watching the results. Some of my supporters called me with the news, which I was initially reluctant to believe. I was pleased.” When asked how he feels about
Claypool
Jarrett
working alongside trustees Joe Mazzurco and Radtke, Claypool said he feels “neutral” and only wants the best outcome from the election. See Election • Page 4
Chief Hopes to Add Full-Time Officer in 2020 By John Karlovec editor@geaugamapleleaf.com For several years now, the Geauga County Budget Commission has asked Chester Township Trustees to examine a staffing shortfall at the police department. Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz, who sits on the three-member commission and works with law enforcement agencies throughout the county, has said the only agency with serious staffing issues is Chester. That is a concern since felony cases countywide have nearly doubled since Chester’s peak staffing levels in 2002, and, since 2015, only the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol have pushed more cases through Chardon Municipal Court. So, Police Chief Mark Purchase, accompanied by Flaiz, went before trustees Oct. 24 to request they consider hiring another fulltime officer next year. “It is not my intention to achieve the staffing level of 17 years ago,” Purchase told trustees. “It is See Police • Page 7
PHOTO COURTESY CHESTER TOWNSHIP FIRE DEPARTMENT
A structure fire broke out Nov. 6 in the second floor of the building at 12766 Chillicothe Road.
Structure Fire Closes Businesses By Pamela J. Molnar pam@chesterlandnews.com Nov. 6 was a busy evening for the Chester Township Fire Department, including a structure fire and a rollover car accident. The fire was reported at 6:27
p.m. Nov. 6 at Chester Town Center plaza, 12766 Chillicothe Road. The plaza houses Subway restaurant, DiBlassi’s Bakery, Chester Co-op Preschool and Pescara Plumbing. “Our first crews were there in
two minutes,” said Chester Township Fire Chief John Wargelin. When crews arrived, the fire was present in one corner of the building on the second floor and extending to the roof, Wargelin See Fire • Page 6
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