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.
Lori Askeland, candidate for MT Trustee
