The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Jones, Sams win Turtlecreek Twp. trustee race

Motorcycist who struck 87-year-old won't be charged
11/21/09
‘Cover Up Our Kids’ expands
11/21/09
State jobless rate jumps to 10.5 percent
11/20/09
Child injured in Ohio 741 accident
11/20/09
Mayor against Waynesville income tax
11/20/09
> More headlines

By Justin McClelland, Staff Writer Updated 6:39 AM Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Two business owners were the winners Tuesday, Nov. 3, in the four-man race for the Turtlecreek Twp. Board of Trustees.

Dan Jones, who owns a house painting business, was re-elected to a third term, while attorney Jonathan Sams was elected to his first.

Jones led all candidates with 1,687 votes (32.76 percent); Sams came in second with 1,287 votes (25 percent). Current trustee Michael Shaffer came in third with 1,196 votes (23.23 percent), while John Lutmer came in fourth with 979 votes (19.01 percent).

Sams ran a campaign on aggressively controlling the growth in the township, likening “uncontrolled growth to sucking on a running garden hose.”

“We have to take a look at the zoning plan and bring it to some sort of completion,” Sams said. “We need to come up with a plan to utilize the economic and development potential in Turtlecreek.”

Jones said he saw his victory as a sign that voters were happy with his work on the board. He said he wanted to bring to fruition a long developing plan to form a joint economic development district with the city of Lebanon within Turtlecreek to help develop the township.

Sams said he had already spoken with Jones and looked forward to working with him. While Jones lamented the defeat of his friend Shaffer, he said he also looked forward to working with Sams and trustee Jim VanDeGrift and did not foresee any problems between the three.

“Obviously, our main goal is to keep Turtlecreek the beautiful township it already it and provide our residents the best service available,” Jones said.

Share this article