LIBERTY — Students at Liberty High School organized a public forum for local election candidates to present their points to the community Wednesday as a part of their student government program.

Liberty trustee candidates participated, along with two write-in candidates for other township administration positions, in answering questions from seniors Aidan Baumeier, Moawya Adhami and Nathan Malone.

Topics including business development, zoning, police, fire and community involvement all were touched on as the students timed the candidates’ responses.

The most popular question among residents, however, involved the state of the township’s zoning code and how each candidate plans to maintain the aesthetic of its properties.

“This is my No. 1 focus in my campaign platform,” Libby Benson, a trustee candidate, said. “We need to adopt stricter, clearer, concise, property zoning laws. And this is totally possible. This can happen, and it will be a benefit to our properties.”

Incumbent candidate Devon Stanley, however, said, “Enforcement is not the problem.” He said only 12 zoning violation cases have been filed in Girard Municipal Court since 2019. Of those, he said, one has gone to trial, one has pleaded and 10 of them eventually got into compliance. He added, “Any property that has been a nuisance property, we have not only cited but we put on the condemned list. I have seen the attorneys that are working to try and turn those properties around.”

As the night went on, the two other trustee candidates, Chris Colon and Jason Rubin, addressed the zoning, as well as other questions from the students.

Each candidate talked on outside issues, which weren’t included in the questions, as well. Colon mentioned police and fire, and Rubin commended his opponents for their courage in talking to the public about the future of the township.

“At the end of the day, we’re here to do what’s right for our departments and we have great departments,” he said. “I give them a lot of credit for what they do. But like I said, we’re here for the township, with their best interests in our hearts.”

WRITE-IN CANDIDATES

Longtime Liberty resident and English teacher Janine Hamilton, who will sit on the schools’ board of education, talked about her life in Liberty and her reasons for wanting the seat.

“It’s all about the kids,” Hamilton said. “And I say kids because when you’re over 70, as I am, you see anybody who is 18 or under as a kid. I have a passion for education but I have an even greater passion for kids.”

Hamilton entered the school district as its first black teacher in 1974, and remained in Liberty for 35 years. She said she has witnessed life in the township from many perspectives.

“Though I come from the other side of education, as a teacher,” Hamilton said. “Above all, I would appreciate another opportunity by contributing to the board’s crucial work of overseeing strategies to ensure students’ needs are prioritized, and that those needs, and our community’s expectations are reflected in our district policies.”

The new board member also taught at Youngstown State University, and said she has always been proud of the diversity in Liberty schools and that she hopes to continue providing more support for diversity in the district.

Fiscal officer Matthew Connelly said he encourages the school and its student government program to continue working with the township to learn more about local government. Connelly, who had Hamilton as a teacher at Liberty, will be entering his third year in charge of the township’s finances.