WEST LIBERTY – Citing a desire to represent the community and see the area’s schools succeed, the two candidates for the West Liberty-Salem Local Schools board say they hope to continue to improve the school district.
Incumbent Chris Moell and newcomer Patrick Adams seek to fill the two vacant seats on the board. Current board member Jim Hoffman is not seeking re-election in the Nov. 3 election.
Moell, 46, is a rural West Liberty resident and attorney with the Thompson, Dunlap & Heydinger Ltd. law firm. His office is in West Liberty. Moell is a graduate of of National Trail High School in New Paris. He received his bachelor’s degree from Taylor University and his juris doctor degree from Ohio Northern University. He is married to Becky and has three children: Dusty, Levi and Lydia.
“Community members must be willing to get involved for a school district to remain strong,” Moell said of his motivation to seek another term on the board. “Serving on the school board allows me to contribute to the district’s continued success.”
Adams, 45, of Cable, is a business development and marketing manager for Reliant Mechanical Inc. He is a West Liberty-Salem High School graduate and Bowling Green State University graduate with a focus on Geographic Information Systems and a minor in Demographics. A newcomer to the school board, Adams said he wants to be a “contributing member of the education community and to serve our community in a greater capacity.”
Adams said he has three children enrolled in the district and his eldest son graduated in 2013 from the high school. He is an Army National Guard veteran.
Moell is finishing his first term on the West Liberty-Salem school board. Before that he was treasurer of the school’s levy committee, Citizens for A Strong Community. Moell is on the Board of Directors of Peoples Savings & Loan and is a solicitor for the village of West Liberty. He is a past-president of the West Liberty Ball Association.
Adams said he served previously as co-chairman of the West Liberty-Salem levy committee, and he was on the architect selection committee for the building project.
Moell said is goals include representing the community’s perspective in the decision-making process and providing community oversight of the administration.
Adams said if elected, his goals are to ensure continued academic success and maintain fiscal responsibility.
“I will work to ensure our decision-making and policies are student-centered, yet fiscally responsible for the community,” he said.
Moell said he appreciated the community’s support when he ran as a write-in candidate in 2011, and he said he “will work hard as a school board member to earn your continued support.”
Adams said he looks forward to watching his children compete in Cross Country. His other favorite pastimes are camping, fishing and watching Ohio State football.
