October, 1998
Three seek commissioner seats in Sandusky County
By Jefferson Wolfe
Staff Writer
Three county commissioner candidates are campaigning in Sandusky County, and they all see different issues as being key to the election.
Incumbant Democrat David Forgatsch, who is running for his second term, said he would like to continue several projects the commissioners are currently exploring, including the creation of a sewer district.
A life-long Fremont resident, Forgatsch is retired from the Post Office after 35 years of service. He said he had been retired 10 years before seeking political offce.
''Now, I guess I'm busier than ever,'' Forgatsch said.
He said during his term, he thinks the public image of the county commissioners has been rehabilitated after a scandal. Two weeks after Forgatsch took office, the other two commissioners went into an allegedly illegal meetingand he left, he said. A special prosecutor found the others guilty of dereliction of duty, he said.
''I think in the two years since that happened, we have helped restore honesty and integrity to the office,'' Forgatsch said.
One of those other two commissioners is one of his opponents, independent Gary Nossaman.
Nossaman said the scandal will affect some voters.
''The media blew that completely out of proportion -- that's my opinion,'' he said.
The issue Nossaman feels is key in the election, however, is Sandusky County's general fund. He said the fund needs to be built up, so the county has some breathing room in its budget, especially at the start of a year.
''You can't go into a new year with no money,'' he said.
What the county has done recently is to project the revenue they will get during that time and spend accordingly, without having the money in the bank, he said.
Nossaman is also a longtime Fremont resident, who was a teacher at Ross High School from 1961-1991. He served for 12 years on Fremont City Council.
The third candidate, Republican Brad Smith, a practicing attorney, said his legal experience would balance the board of county commissioners.
''They don't have anyone in the office right now with legal experience,'' Smith said.
Smith is currently the Fremont City Prosecutor.
One of the issues he feels the commissioners will face is the addition of a public defender's office for Sandusky County. He said he feels he can have an impact on that decision.
He said right now, he would be against adding that office, because the county has a good system of court-appointed defense attorneys for those who cannot afford an attorney.
However, Smith said, on most of the main issues there is not much difference between the candidates. What Smith feels makes him unique is that he is at a different stage of his life than the other two candidates. He is a practicing attorney with a wife and family, while his opponents are both retired public employees.
As to the county commissioners' scandal of a few years ago, Smith said, ''I think generally speaking people have moved on and gotten past it.''
Other key ballot decisions in Sandusky County include:
* A .5 mill for 10 years replacement levy for the Sandusky County Park District.
''It's the same millage, but based on current value,'' said Steve Gruner, the director of the park district.
The county has more than 1,000 acres of parks in six facilities, he said.
Also, the money would support educational and entertainment programs in the parks, Gruner said.
* The Sandusky County Health District is asking for a replacement of a .5 mill levy for five years for health purposes.
The current levy has been rolled back to .33 mill since 1989, said Ken Kerik, Sandusky County Health Commissioner.
If approved, the levy would restore the original rate, adding about $96,000 to the budget. Currently, the levy produces about $320,000.
He said the money would go to the continuation of public health services.
Kerik said the district would like to expand immunization clinics to the outlying areas of the county, continue programs for teen pregnancy prevention and do some plumbing inspections.
Passage of the levy would mean residents would pay about $11.50 for a $75,000 house, he said.