While election day has just passed, David Wagner is already looking ahead to next year. The current Independence Township Trustee has formally announced he will be running for Independence Township Supervisor in 2004.
Wagner has been thinking about running for the past year but didn’t decide officially until recently.
“A lot of people in the community said they were interested in having me run,” Wagner said. “About a month ago I asked the group to see if there was real interest in having me do it. It was just an average group and I decided if they saw interest I would do it. They came back and said there was, so I decided to run.”
Wagner is completing his first term on the township board. While the filing date for nominees is not until May 11, Wagner decided to end the suspense and announce early.
“I figured that there was so much talk in the community about me possibly running that I would decide and take the pressure off everybody,” Wagner said.
Current Township Supervisor Dale Stuart stated he is not ready to make an announcement whether he will run for a fourth consecutive term. He had no comment on Wagner’s announcement.
If Stuart did run, the two would face off in the Republican primary set for Aug. 10.
In his announcement, Wagner stated why he wants to become supervisor including reconstructing bridges on communication between the township and the community, facilitating a timely and accurate exchange of information and making the township board’s role one of oversight of the township’s business while leaving the day-to-day decision making in the hands of a professional management team.
“For far too long, the policy of current Township leadership has been one of exclusion,” Wagner said in his release. “It is time to institute a policy of inclusion in the decision making process by implementing, among other things, regular meetings of appointed department directors with the elected Township Supervisor, Clerk and Treasurer.”
Wagner stated he will continue to work hard as a Trustee and attempt to tell residents why his vision is right for Independence Township.
“I am in the township hall every day. I am always visiting the police department, fire department, DPW, Parks and Recreation. I have been doing this since I was voted in as Trustee. I have the time,” Wagner said. “For people to think I am politically motivated and have just started to do this is baloney.”
Wagner also stated it felt good to have members of the community approach him.