By Clara Osten,
clara@wayneherald.com
Candidates for the two contested primary races gathered Tuesday to introduce themselves and talk about issues important to them.
Tammy Paustian and Lisa Lindsay, candidates for Wayne County Treasurer, and Clayton Bratcher, Karen Granberg and Chad Sebade, candidates for Wayne City Council Ward 1 were part of a candidate forum held at the Wayne Senior Center.
The event was hosted by the Wayne Area Economic Development Office and Wayne County Farm Bureau. Luke Virgil, WAED Executive Director, served as moderator.
Each of the candidates was given time to introduce him or herself.
Paustian said she has been employed in the County Treasurer's Office since 2001 and in 2018 was elected as County Treasurer.
She explained some of the positive changes that have taken place since that time and noted that "the office is treated as a team. She said upgrading to a direct deposit (ACH) system to save time, money and the chance of losing a check.
Lindsay said she is a life-long resident of Wayne and noted that "people and numbers are my passion." She said the use of technology is vital to the success of the office and one of her goals would be to work with local banks to insure the best interest rates on county funds.
Bratcher told those in the audience he has lived in Wayne since 2002, with the exception of two years, and has been employed in the County Sheriff's Office for 13 years.
He said "a lot happens in the community that the public doesn't know about. I would like to try to make a difference and I am not going to make things sound better than they are."
Granberg said she "loves the small town atmosphere of Wayne" and retired after a 30 year career at Wayne State College.
She also noted that "democracy depends on us and requires participation. I want to represent the people of Ward 1 and listen to pursue common goals."
Sebade also said he is a life-long resident of Wayne has had is own business, Sebade Construction, since 1995. He told those in attendance he wants "to represent all the residents of Ward 1, make the city work for the people and protect tax dollars."
Questions were presented to the candidates by members of the audience and include such items as determining the most important issue to the particular office, thoughts on Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and Wayne's strongest attraction to new families coming to town.
Each candidate summed up the evening by sharing thoughts on why they wanted to be elected to the particular office.
