By ALLIE VUGRINCIC

Staff writer

AUSTINTOWN — Four candidates are seeking one vacant township trustee seat.

Current Trustee Doug McGlynn is completing the remaining term of the Rev. Rick Stauffer, who stepped down after being transferred to a western Pennsylvania church.

David L. Engler, Steve Kent, Michael R. Rapovy Sr. and Bruce N. Shepas are on the Nov. 5 ballot. They cite their experiences, respectively, in county government, law enforcement, municipal government and counseling-business ownership.

DAVID ENGLER

Engler, 59, a lawyer and a former two-term Mahoning County commissioner, said he wants to be a trustee to help the township navigate the ripple effect from the closing of General Motors Lordstown.

“The effects may not be fully realized for five years, but you need to plan now to address the reduction in revenues to the township,” said Engler. He said that happens by running the government efficiently and working with industries that were not dependent on GM.

Engler said he would like to create an “Austintown 2020” committee comprised of a large group of residents who can identify the issues facing Austintown and prioritize. He said he created a similar committee when he was a county commissioner and it “really changed the way the government was operated” and allowed the county to put in place an action plan.

Engler has been on the Mahoning County Educational Service Center and Mahoning County Career and Technical Service Center boards for the past 20 years. In 1986 he ran unsuccessfully for state representative. More recently, Engler was in a court of appeals race but withdrew.

Engler has his own law firm and has been practicing for 35 years, he said. He said he navigates his busy life by putting qualified people in place and letting them do their job.

STEVE KENT

Kent, 50, said he would like to “elevate community standards” to attract more business and new residents to the township. And, he said he would work with the state, county and other local officials to address the condition of many township roadways.

A patrolman and school resource officer with the Poland Township Police Department and the Mahoning County OVI Task Force, Kent said he is also interested in supporting fire, police and school officials to improve quality of life. He said he would also like to work closely with school officials to build positive relationships and create a “safer, more secure campus” for the community’s children.

A 1988 graduate of Fitch High School, Kent has an associate’s degree in criminal justice administration from Youngstown State University. He also has an Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy certification.

Kent said he will be active in the community and accessible: “I will be accountable to the taxpayers, and a honest steward of the community’s money.”

Kent said he and his family are active at Evangelical Presbyterian Church, where Kent is a youth leader.

MICHAEL RAPOVY

Rapovy, 61, a former two-term Youngstown 5th ward councilman, is running on a platform of accountability and honesty.

Rapovy said his eight years experience in government and with the Ohio Revised Code means he knows “what the government’s role is and what the government’s role isn’t.”

“The role of a trustee is to oversee the budget in Austintown,” said Rapovy. “The best piece of advice I got when I became a councilman — a department head said, ‘Councilman, do a good job, I’m here when you start and I’ll be here when you’re leaving.’ It wasn’t going to be a lifelong career… I was just passing through.”

He said as a councilman, he implemented blockwatches and helped to secure for the city the Youngstown Convocation Center, now the Covelli Center.

He said to bring in jobs, a municipality must “clean up” neighborhoods first, focusing on property maintenance.

Rapovy unsuccessfully ran for Youngstown mayor in 2005.. A graduate of Chaney High School and a carpenter by trade, Rapovy was employed by the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters for more than a decade. Now retired, he said he can devote all of his time to serve the residents of Austintown.

BRUCE SHEPAS

Shepas, 46, previously ran unsuccessfully for Austintown trustee in 2015.

“Small business is the backbone of our community. However, I would like to create a committee to include businessmen, zoning, and department heads to draw in big economical development to our township,” said Shepas.

He said he wants to work with each department to increase productivity, spur grant writing, and seek new solutions to “improve the great services we have in our township.”

A lifelong resident of Austintown and 1991 graduate of Fitch, Shepas attended the police academy and the Ohio Corrections Academy. He spent five years as a reserve deputy sheriff before taking a position with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, where he currently works as a counselor. He is a co-owner of Austintown Bounce Indoor Play Center and Rentals, established in 2007.

Shepas said he volunteers in several appointed positions, including the Austintown Zoning Commission, Austintown Night Out Committee and the Austintown Fourth of July Parade, of which Shepas was appointed chairman several years ago. He said he is also an executive board member of the Fourth of July fireworks and celebration committee.

Shepas said his experience as a businessman and breadth of community involvement gives him “experience and knowledge of the inner workings of Austintown Township.”

avugrincic@tribtoday.com