Copyright cleveland.com
STRONGSVILLE, Ohio – The Strongsville school board raced bucked the national trend on Election Day, with two Republicans defeating one Democrat. It didn’t hurt that the influential Strongsville GOP endorsed both winning candidates, Megan Haffner and Eric Wahl. The losing Democrat was Christa Grywalsky Heckman. Although the Strongsville GOP has been critical of the school board, saying it has too much cash in its saving account and asks for too much new operating money through levies, Haffner said the district will need additional funds for future construction. “The most important issue facing the Strongsville City Schools is the aging elementary schools,” Haffner, 27, told cleveland.com in an email. “With a proposed upcoming bond issue on the ballot, it is imperative that the board supports this issue and works hard to regain the voters’ trust,” Haffner said. The school board is planning to place a combined bond issue and levy that would raise funds for three new K-5 school buildings plus operating money that would pay for day-to-day expenses like teachers’ salaries. “It is prudent for the Board of Education to begin conversations with civic groups in the city to obtain their input and understand how to get their support behind the bond issue,” Haffner said. According to unofficial results from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, Haffner finished first in the Nov. 4 school board election with 5,037 votes or 35 percent of the total vote. Wahl came in second with 4,865 votes or 34 percent of the vote. Grywalsky Heckman came in third with 4,393 votes or 31 percent of the vote. Haffner and Wahl, both political newcomers, will join existing members Michelle Bissell, Richard Micko and Laura Wolfe-Housum on the school board. “I believe the secret to success on election night was being visible in the community and surrounding myself with the best team possible,” Haffner said in an email to cleveland.com. “I door-knocked for multiple months, listened to what our residents had to say and remained available for residents to ask questions and learn about me,” Haffner said. Haffner said she started campaigning over the summer and knocked on thousands of doors. She met even more voters by taking part in citywide events. “(I participated) in several meet-the-candidate evenings, including livestreamed and recorded sessions,” Haffner said. “These sessions provided residents with an opportunity to learn about me and why I decided to run for the board of education.”
