NORTH LEWISBURG – Four candidates – incumbent Gwen Beech and newcomers Susan Woodard, Dennis Lamb and Nathan Holycross – are vying Nov. 3 for two open seats on village council.

Beech, a 17-year resident of the village, was elected to council in November 2011. Prior to her first term, she was on council for a brief time in 2007 after being appointed to finish the term of a former member.

Being involved with the daily grind of local government is nothing new for Beech, who graduated from The Ohio State University in 1994 with a degree in health information management. After working in health care for a few years with the National Institutes of Health near Washington, D.C., Beech was hired by the city of Marysville 15 years ago as an archivist. She currently works in the city’s information technology department, which supports technology across all city departments.

As for the issues facing North Lewisburg, Beech said, “With no signs of our village population increasing in the future, we must operate under the assumption that revenue will remain relatively the same over the next several years. With that said, we must plan responsibly in order to maintain services and retain the quality of life our residents have come to expect.

“My experience as a North Lewisburg Village Council member along with my 15 years in municipal government has given me the knowledge necessary to responsibly represent the residents of North Lewisburg,” she added.

Beech and her husband, Dusty, have one daughter, Amber.

Susan Woodard

After growing up in St. Paris, Woodard moved to the village 19 years ago to attend the North Lewisburg United Methodist Church and decided the village was the ideal place to raise a family with her husband, Chris.

After working for Honda for five years, Woodard took time off to be a stay-at-home mom to the couple’s two children, Seth and Jessica. During this time, she joined the Triad Parent Teacher Organization and served for a time as PTO president.

Woodard’s experience on local boards includes a stint on the North Lewisburg United Methodist Church Board of Trustees.

Since 2002, Woodard has worked in the village. A certified insurance service representative, she is an agent for Sloan Insurance Agency.

Having lived, volunteered and worked in the village, Woodard said, she would like to see North Lewisburg officials focus more on a few areas in particular.

“I would like to see our town move forward and offer activities for our community and for those who come to visit it,” she said. “Our village also needs to show pride in our community and our local school. We need to provide an outlet for the youth in the community by encouraging them to be involved in the community. It’s all the small things that we do that can leave the largest impression.”

Woodard went on to say, “Working in a local business, I know that small businesses are so important to the community, so we need to encourage new businesses in our community.”

Dennis Lamb

A village resident for the last nine years, Lamb retired from the U.S. military in 1994 after six years in the Army and 14 years in the Navy. In 2008, he retired from Veyance Technologies Inc. in Marysville, a Goodyear spin-off.

Lamb said he is running for council to help with “transparency and communications between the village and its residents.

“I would like to bring to council a fresh look at the village, keeping the small-town flavor while bringing the village services into the 21st century,” he added.

Lamb has two daughters and five grandchildren.

Nathan Holycross

A lifelong resident of North Lewisburg and a Triad High School graduate, Holycross is the owner of Holycross Outdoor Services. He is a former firefighter/EMT, having retired from the Northeast Champaign County Fire District after 15 years.

“While on the NECCFD, I was president of the (firemen’s) association several times, taking pride in my job,” Holycross said.

By attending countless village council meetings over the past eight years, Holycross said, he has gained insight into matters affecting North Lewisburg. He said he would address those issues if voted into office.

“I would like to improve our village infrastructure … with minimal cost to the taxpayers and citizens of the community, he said. “I would also like to see the spending of tax dollars in the proper manner for things that truly need done.”

Holycross added if he were on council, he would have “an open door policy to the community … and would get their input before a decision would be made.”