Election eve! MT Meeting this afternoon--Capital Fund Sleuthing.

Dear People:  It's Election Eve!  Thanks for making it this far with me!  I trust you all have your voting plan for tomorrow in place--if you haven't already voted.  Please see my note below for more details on my recommendations, including YES on Issue 16, and please reach out to me if you have any questions you think I can answer.  This is the final push!   

We're having an election night party tomorrow night, 8-11 pm!  Email me for details!

Another reason to vote for Marilan and for me: Case in point, tonight's MT Meeting (5 pm at the new Firehouse):   A key reason, among many, that I so strongly support Marilan's incumbency, is that right now she the only person who has been actually been closely and carefully tracking the budget and repeatedly protecting us as citizens and taxpayers from sometimes huge financial decisions made too lackadaisically under the current chair, and with a failure to follow basic recording and appropriating procedures, particularly in the final days of the previous fiscal officer, as Marilan's memo the capital funds item on tonight's MT meeting agenda demonstrates.  

The confusion that her memo is seeking to untangle has to do with a fund created to buy a new ambulance and the apparently rather chaotic recording and appropriate procedures that were being followed after the Trustees duly voted to appropriate those funds.  

Clarity on funds such as these is especially vital because right now the costs of new ambulances and fire trucks have skyrocketed and wait times are now about 4 years!* (see *note below!). In order to keep our fire/EMS service running at excellent efficiency, we have to get the accounting and reporting processes fully in order, and Marilan is devoting countless hours to sorting many such problems like this out.  

We can't afford these kinds of errors, and anyone new to this Board will need someone with Marilan's institutional memory built from this hard work. This kind of forensic work is just one very small example of the non-glamourous work Marilan has been quietly doing behind the scenes.  No one else is really doing this, or even realizing that it needs to be done, and she is doing it with tremendous skill, smart networking and serious tenacity. 

MT needs Marilan there to continue diving into these important financial weeds.  And Marilan needs a working and ready partner, someone who has been actively engaging with the documents and actively participating in the meetings since April, who can hit the ground running on Jan 1, in terms of working with our fiscal officer, our fire chief, James Cannell, and consultant, Fred Kouser, and other staff, to track our path forward in this challenging environment. 

Other than that, the main issue on the agenda tonight is the cybersecurity issue I mentioned a few weeks ago.   (The meeting I missed two weeks ago due to a household emergency focused primarily on passing the new Zoning Code for the Township areas).  I'll report on tonight's meeting, after the election!

Finally, I hope you read the candidate letters in the YS News on Friday, especially if you have questions about my stance on greenspace / infill (link is to the full draft; I responded to a question raised in an earlier letter), and also  Marilan's note about the exclusive representation that rural Township residents have on the two rural zoning boards that they entirely control (the Township Zoning Board and Board of Zoning Appeals - 10 seats).   Rural residents are  not under-represented in Township governance. 

(*The backlog and skyrocketing costs of ambulance and firetruck is due, by the way, to private equity buyout of the industry to create a monopoly, which the US Senate is investigating, in an effort spearheaded by the economic whiz, Elizabeth Warren: "Large fire truck manufacturers may be exploiting their market power to raise fire truck prices and restrict the supply of fire trucks. In 2013, a pumper truck cost $500,000, and a ladder truck cost $900,000. Today (2025), these prices have skyrocketed to nearly $1 million and $2 million, respectively, far outpacing inflation for heavy-duty truck manufacturing over that time period."  This means that just to purchase a new fire truck it's likely to require a levy, we are told.  We have to get our fiscal house in order, now, as all these big ticket items depreciate and need an excellent maintenance and updating plan. 

---------- Forwarded message ---------

Date: Thu, Oct 30, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Subject: Vote! You're invited! Election night party for Moir and Askeland! 8-11 pm, Tue Nov 4! (Plus Ohio Fair Districting urgent notice!)
To: <askeland4trustee@gmail.com>

1) vote on or before Tuesday, Nov. 4! (Your voting location for election day voting should be the same as in previous years, but you can check here.).  

Obviously I urge everyone to... 

• Vote for me, Lori Askeland AND for Marilan Moir for Trustee and 
• I am personally voting YES on all of the ballot issues, but esp. relevant to our race is Miami Township's Issue 16, which is a levy renewal, not a new tax, and provides 47% of the Fire-EMS tax revenue).  Please read and learn or watch the short video from Chief Cannell--I think you'll agree that it's a wise choice.

Quick note:  Welcome new recipients of my informative emails!  In double checking my records, I realized that I had incorrectly entered a lot of new contacts I made when out canvassing door-to-door in town--I had entered emails but I missed a step when I thought I placed you on a mailing list. As promised, I personally write these emails, not AI! I use them to give you information about the Township (and this week, a party invitation! and usually a poem!), not to make lots of money-asks.  You can see my earlier emails on my blog, here.  But if you want to be removed from this email list, just ask!  No explanation needed!  (Still, do consider coming to our party!)

--

Lori Askeland, candidate for MT Trustee

Check out my blog! askeland4trustee.blogspot.com 

Or find me on Facebook or Instagram

Donations gratefully accepted to Friends of Lori Askeland (ActBlue), checks or cash. 

    Just email me if you want to be removed from this list--not a problem, no explanation required!

Candidates' Night: Thursday Oct. 16

Here's a link to the videorecording of the October 16 James A. McKee Association Candidates Night forum, focusing on the Miami Township Trustees and Yellow Springs Exempted School Board, which includes many families who reside outside of Yellow Springs. 

Here are my comments, complete with the highlighting and bolding that I hope helped me as a speaker create emphasis and clarity. 

My Prepared Comments for McKee

Candidate Forum 10/16/2025

Thank you

to the James A. McKee Association for hosting this forum

and for your many years of

helping us come together as a community to talk about what matters.

Why I’m Running for Trustee

I’m running for Miami Township Trustee because I love this place—both the villages of Clifton and Yellow Springs, and the rural area–our beautiful

nature preserves and farmlands–that connect them. I’ve spent more than 27 years here, invested in the community in a variety of ways, & I’ve learned that good local government is one of the strongest tools we have to protect what

we love—

our land, our water, and our people.

I bring decades of management and governance experience. I served eight years on Yellow Springs Village Council and spent nearly 30 years as a university faculty member at Wittenberg, where I helped manage budgets,

lead committees, and collaborate

across departments in a feisty organization roughly the population of a small township. I know how to build transparent systems, facilitate honest discussion,

make sure communication is happening, and help diverse people work

together toward shared goals.

And I care deeply about stewardship—of both land and community. I grew up on an Iowa farm, married my childhood neighbor, and together we permanently restored 160 acres of

family farmland to wetlands and tallgrass prairie.

My experiences in agriculture and academia have taught me that long-term

sustainability requires

careful management, not just good intentions.

Our Township is at a turning point.We’ve transitioned from a volunteer-based Fire and EMS service with just 2 staff to

professional departments of

about 16 professional employees total. That’s a huge step forward for safety and service—but it also means we need

professional management

practices to match. And much closer attention to our fiscal health! 

We need clear personnel manuals (which we lack), transparent communication, and

a culture of accountability

and collaboration at every level.

That’s the kind of leadership I want to bring—steady, transparent, organized, and

people-centered.

Three Main Issues and How I’d Address Them

1. Strengthening Management and Governance

Our first challenge is basic organizational management. The Township has grown

more complex—especially

with a professional Fire-Rescue Department—but its internal systems haven’t kept pace.

We need stronger procedures:

●  Agendas and meeting packets—complete & shared in advance, and followed!
●  Clear division of labor and accountability among trustees and staff, and
●  A forward-looking budgeting process that aligns operational spending with long-term capital planning.

These aren’t glamorous changes, but they’re essential for earning public trust. I have decades of experience managing collaborative projects and building

transparent systems. As Trustee,

I’ll work closely and collaboratively with the Fiscal Officer and Fire-Rescue leadership to modernize our management practices and ensure every dollar is spent wisely.

---

2. Affordability and Fiscal Responsibility

State government has reduced funding to local municipalities while giving

tax breaks to corporations and

assistance to billionaires! That leaves townships, schools, and villages relying on levies—

raising property taxes that fall hardest on

residents with fixed or limited incomes.

As Trustee, I will advocate—alongside other local leaders—for a fairer funding model.

We need to organize township-level lobbying efforts to make sure small communities

like ours have a voice in

Columbus.

And locally, I’ll work to strengthen our budgeting process so we can plan ahead

and reduce surprises that lead

to emergency levies or reactive spending.

Good management is the foundation of fiscal responsibility.

---

3. Collaborative, People-Driven, and Data-Driven Decision-Making

Finally, we need to restore trust and civility in local decision-making. Whether the issue is annexation, solar siting, what “agritourism” means, or creative sites like Wirrig Pavilion,

residents deserve transparent processes where everyone can be heard—and where decisions are guided by

both real data on shared documents, and our diverse community experiences.

That means creating forums for dialogue before issues become conflicts and using the Township’s role to convene—not divide—neighbors. It means protecting our soil, water, and open spaces while helping working families and local farmers thrive.

My background as an educator has prepared me well for this work. For 30 years, I’ve helped adults learn

together, even when they disagree.  I’ve effectively worked with and herded cats—uh! “managed” people--

who, with tenure, have lots of ways to ignore management!, but who long for well-run organizations and

good communication–just as citizens do!  

That’s exactly what we need now: leadership that listens deeply, manages effectively, and helps our township

move forward as a well-run, professional organization.

---

Closing. In short:

●  I’m running because I love the broad Miami Township community.

●  I bring a lifelong commitment to stewardship and decades of management experience.

●  And I believe Miami Township is ready for the next level of professional, transparent, and accountable governance.

I hope to earn your vote! Thank you.

Support our Miami Township Fire-EMS Service! Vote YES on ISSUE 16!

Dear people!  I was happy this week to work with some citizens and a few of our excellent MTFR fire fighters and EMS staff (outside of staff working hours!) on helping to develop some VOTE YES on ISSUE 16 for a renewal of the levy that funds 47% of our Fire-Rescue tax budget--not a new tax!   The Miami Township Firefighers' Association sponsored levy website is mtfrlevy.org/2025. 

There's a lot of good data about things like response times at that site.  And as someone newly retired and with a spouse on a fixed income, I well know that affordability is an issue in our area. But, having looked at the data, it's clear to me that our ambulance and fire service is an excellent value for money--we all benefit from having staff trained, as the wonderful photo to the left indicates, to do rescue even from the rugged terrain in Clifton Gorge, Glen Helen, and John Bryan.  

So I hope that everyone in Miami Township will join me in voting YES on ISSUE 16!  

Early October MTT Meetings: Why Process Matters, Why "jokes" matter, Why equity in work matters, ...and more events!

Dear People!  First off, I am having a great time canvassing and meeting people, in all kinds of locations.  Many thanks to those who have hosted meet & greets and the wonderful folks who have walked with me doing door-knocking in both YS and Clifton!  AND I had my first video go kind of viral on Facebook!  (~6K views and counting!). The short video itself was actually made by my 87-yo dad, a retired Iowa farmer, riding along with my cousin in a combine harvesting corn, at sunset, ending with a quick selfie of him grinning from ear to ear--he loves being back in the field, & it was a beautiful evening.  

In my notes below about recent meetings, I highlight the issues of the importance of good meeting structure; new cybersecurity law & candidates with skills to be proactive and engaged for our increasingly complex world; "jokes," equity in "invisible work" ... and a poem!  So I hope you'll read on, after the events list...

Please plan to attend these upcoming events! 

• W 10/15 & Th 10/16! 7 pm Candidates Nights!  7 pm Mills Lawn Wed 10/15:  YS Mayor & YS Council  Thurs 10/16:  MT Trustee & School Board
• Sat 10/18 10 am:  Canvassing in YS!  Contact me for details. 
• W 10/23! 6:30-8:30 pm   Meet and greet in an eastern township barn! a meet and greet for Marilan Moir and me in another interesting barn in the eastern township.  I will share more details next week--please let me know if you are interested in attending (I love having friendly faces in the room!) or especially if  you know someone out in the Township to whom I should reach out!

TRUSTEE MEETING NOTES from 10/1 & 10/6:   

The Oct 1 special meeting of the Trustees was largely uneventful. focused on participating in grant funding with the County and Cedarville to completely rebuild Harbison road, and the urgency of the meeting was mainly due to last minute changes on the County's part.  It feels like a missed opportunity that the County didn't decide to invest in widening that very narrow (15') road a little more (it will be 17') to better accommodate walkers, runners, and bicyclists, particularly as that road goes straight to Cedarville University where there are lots of active students who use that road, and concerns about flooding / inadequate culverts were raised by a citizen.  

This past week’s regular 10/6 Miami Township Trustees meeting was more substantial and highlights the importance of good meeting structure, forward-looking budgeting, transparency, digital literacy, and respect for people and their time.  (Here is the text of the original email communications that I summarize below).

After the meeting, I sent a follow-up email (October 7) thanking the Trustees, Fiscal Officer, and staff for progress made—especially their approval of a clear pay structure for Miami Township Fire & Rescue staff and creation of new part-time positions. I also raised a few concerns and questions:

• The public packet for the meeting was missing several documents and recent minutes, making it difficult for residents to follow the discussion.  This is a new process for them, and some are still getting used to the idea of providing all relevant public documents, as a standard practice of local governance, but I do hope to receive some pieces that were mentioned, so I can keep getting up to speed. 

• I expressed support for the Fire Chief’s recommendation to lease-purchase two small trucks essential for emergency response, and concern about a Trustee second-guessing and delaying that lease-purchase, as it's my understanding it meets a need for increased nimbleness (esp. if there are two overlapping emergency calls), and rests on a well-thought out capital plan--which itself is also something of a first for MT, although standard for good local governance.

• I asked whether all Trustees and staff already receive cybersecurity training, as many of us already do in our workplaces, related to a new and somewhat complex Ohio bill that mandates increased cybersecurity measures, without providing support for the new training, etc.  

• I will note here that, with my academic and civic background, and experience working through complex legal and technical documents from my various professional and life experiences, I am well placed to dig into things like new laws related to digital security, find solid resources to learn more about emergent cyber issues, and understand the implications of new developments in these areas. This bill even mandates having one Trustee capable of making the call whether to pay a ransom in order to regain access to one's own network after a ransomware attack--something that has seriously disrupted at least one nearby medical system lately, directly impacting many people right here in Miami Township--which is no joking matter. 
  
  A good question for voters to ask ourselves: Which candidates for all local offices can we trust to understand, as best as a lay-person can, what is happening in places like the digital world and in Columbus, and possibly make such an emergency decision related to both our tax dollars and to the integrity of our personal data?  And which candidates are likely to have the skills, energy, and will to connect with other officials and even possibly lobby in Columbus for more support for small local governments trying to grapple with this new world, as this is yet another unfunded mandate?    

• Finally, Trustee Mucher made what I believe he intended as a joke about Ethiopia and cybersecurity that I immediately verified as entirely baseless (the biggest sources of cybercrime are Russia, Ukraine, China and the US), and which I corrected verbally after the meeting ended and people were packing up--the first opportunity I was afforded to speak.  I was not at all sure all three of the Trustees heard my concern or correction; only Trustee Moir acknowledged it. So in my email to them, I also noted the importance of accuracy when discussing crime and international or ethnic communities, particularly anything that seems based in harmful and unfair stereotyping.  

Over the next few days, the Fiscal Officer's assistant Cyndi Pauwels and Trustee Moir both responded helpfully, (thank you!) with Moir acknowledging gaps in the packet process and confirming that cybersecurity training will soon be required under new state law--and agreeing that care must be taken with language.   (The other officials did not respond.) 

On that note, I’ve noticed that, as in many workplaces, women in public service often take on the quiet, unseen work — following up, communicating, making sure the paperwork gets done — while, too often, others get the spotlight.  The invisible work is what keeps government transparent and accountable, and it deserves both recognition and shared responsibility (in the case of the Trustees).  It's vital to elect people to local office who have the skill set, the demonstrated will, and, ideally, a strong track record of strong communication and collaboration skills to ensure this "invisible" work gets done & shared equitably where it's a team's shared responsibility.

In a follow-up message today (October 11), I raised one remaining concern: the lack of adherence to the Board’s own rule requiring that the agenda be formally approved at the start of each meeting, and that any changes be voted on. Without that step, meetings often drift off-track, with topics taken up in random order, no clear motions on the floor, and no sense of closure on key issues. This wastes valuable time for staff and residents alike, and can make the atmosphere in the room tense and confusing (which was definitely the case on Monday).

I continue to appreciate the long hours and dedication of many local government officials and staff.  

My goal in raising these issues is to help strengthen how we govern—ensuring meetings are well-organized, transparent, and welcoming to all who attend.

Good process builds trust. And trust builds stronger local government that works for all of us!

Next MT meeting will be Mon, Oct. 20, at 5 pm in the Fire Station...and I will plan to be there!

POEM: I went searching for a poem that mentions the cyberworld, and found this mind-bender, by a poet new to me.  I like the way a slightly surreal poem makes my brain swerve around unexpected corners, flip upside down, and see the world new, like a Dalí painting:

Free Radical

By Alison C. Rollins

Before Gilgamesh invented

the kaleidoscope and Galileo

the Rubik’s cube, before the

scimitar-horned oryx went

missing, before the tamarind

trees went bare, before the

stars’ eyelids were wrapped

in tinfoil, before the leaves

could gnaw on water, before

electrons made donations,

before the owl wore a mask,

before the wind had a sound,

before the moon had a name

and the smoke a spine, before

the tulips crossed their legs,

before the tongue was

armored, before the ghosts

rode centaurs to riots, before

cyberspace was culled and

belly buttons sown to wombs,

before the taste had an after,

before intellect became

property and thunder

premeditated, before the

New, New World, before a

stone wished to be more

than a stone, before we had a

change of clothes, before the

grass was color-blind, before

the rivers lost their fingers,

and the rain stopped teething,

before the kings were all

beheaded, the gravedigger

neither young nor old, before

a lion was still a lion, before

the girls were all killed, before

the trapeze gave way.        We

hung           suspended in time

by the arches of our curved

feet and this tickled the gods,

tickled them to death.        & I

think our silence cut us loose,

let us go falling from the doubt,

secretly thrilled at the hems

and ever so eager to break.

[Alison C. Rollins, "Free Radical," Poetry, Nov. 2016, via PoetryFoundation.org.] 

Thanks for reading!

Lori

--

Lori Askeland, candidate for MT Trustee

Check out my blog! askeland4trustee.blogspot.com 

Or find me on Facebook or Instagram

Donations gratefully accepted to Friends of Lori Askeland (ActBlue), checks or cash.