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Ex-Burton mayor coming back
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - November 11, 2011)
Ex-Burton mayor coming back
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Burton village voters helped a mayoral candidate make his political comeback in Tuesday's election. They also chose to retain one Village Council member while ousting another.
Nicholas Fischbach, who served as mayor for a dozen years until being defeated four years ago, won a narrow race over incumbent Mayor Thomas Blair Sr., according to unofficial results from the Geauga County Board of Elections.
Voters also supported Councilwoman Linda Swaney in her bid for a second full term after being appointed to the post in 2006. However, voters showed little support for council incumbent Gerald Rouge in his bid for a second full term, choosing former Councilman Brian Johnston to replace him.
In Burton Township, write-in candidate Michael Sestak, Burton fire chief, was easily defeated by incumbent Trustee James Dvorak, 621-177, according to unofficial results.
According to the unofficial results, Mr. Fischbach narrowly defeated Mr. Blair by a 230-221 margin. A third mayoral candidate, former Councilwoman Judith Beaumier finished a distant third with 50 votes.
Mr. Fischbach lost by seven votes to Mr. Blair four years ago.
Mrs. Swaney easily outpaced four other Village Council candidates with 276 votes, according to the unofficial tally. Mr. Johnston finished second in the five-way race for two seats with 191 votes. Political newcomers Steve Gallowan received 171 votes, and Arleen Richardson collected 166 votes. Mr. Rouge finished a distant fourth in the race with 60 votes.
"I'll take it," Mr. Fischbach said of his narrow victory.
He credited his win this time around to the effort he put into the race. "I went door to door, and I hit every house and apartment in the village," he said. "Well, almost, it was about 99 percent of the village."
In addition to sending out fliers, Mr. Fischbach said, he made sure to attend the local candidates night and answered every questionnaire from newspapers and the League of Women Voters.
Ms. Swaney said she was flattered by the support for her candidacy and pledged to work aggressively for the village the next four years. "I am pretty excited about serving a second term," she said. "The second term will be a little different, probably a little more aggressive. We have a lot of issues to address."
Ms. Swaney said one of the most important issues to address is the aging infrastructure in the village. "Strategic planning will be a key word," she said. "If we can come up with a plan, I believe there are enough talented people on council and in the office that we'll be OK. The next four years will be a great opportunity for Burton village."
Mr. Johnston, who was attending a rally in Cleveland Tuesday night, said he was thankful for voters support. "I'd like to thank the voters," he said. "I will do my best to secure and earn the trust of those voters. I appreciate their confidence in putting me in office."
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