Monday, August 16, 1999
Trustee's position all but won
Deerfield election so far a one-man race
BY KEVIN ALDRIDGE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP — Bill Morand, a 16-year resident here, plans to run for his second, and possibly final, term as township trustee this November.
Mr. Morand, a self-employed certified public accountant, may be the only candidate in the race for the lone vacant seat on the three-mem ber board.
So far, no other candidate has challenged the 43-year-old Republican. The deadline for filing petitions is Thursday.
“If I'm re-elected, this will probably be my last term as trustee,” he said Friday. “Being a trustee has taken up a lot of time and energy, but it's been worth it to see all the positive things that have been happening in the community.
“My feelings are that I've been blessed to have been part of this period of growth in Deerfield Township. It's been an exciting opportunity to help plan for the future.”
In 1995, Mr. Morand made his political debut by ousting then-Trustee Joe Mettey.
Two years later, Mr. Morand lost to veteran Commissioner C. Michael Kilburn in a Republican primary for Warren County Commission by a margin of more than 2,200 votes.
Mr. Morand has helped Warren County's largest township establish an identity and manage rapid growth. In four years, he has worked for local zoning, commercial development, a system of parks, and water and sewer service for residents in the unincorporated township.
He also has advocated township rights and is a founding member and chairman of the Southwest Ohio Township Association.
Annexation reform remains one of his political goals.
Meanwhile, a competition is developing in the race for Deerfield Township clerk.
Benjamin Dotson, who is finishing his second term, faces newcomer Kristin Spiekerman. Mr. Dotson, 56, unseated longtime clerk Lee Hamilton in 1991 and turned away a challenge by Tim Harrison four years ago by a margin of nearly 1,000 votes.
“I feel the township still needs my experience to finish out some of the projects we've currently got going like TIF (tax-increment financing) and park purchases,” said Mr. Dotson, a Deerfield resident since 1959.
Mrs. Spiekerman, who owns a dance studio in Landen, will be making her first run at public office. She is a member of Deerfield's communication and historical committees and serves as assistant editor on the township's quarterly newsletter, Deerfield Digest.
“The township is in need of some changes, and I would like to be a part of those changes,” said Mrs. Spiekerman, a two-year resident.
She and her family moved to Deerfield from a large urban township in Michigan, where they lived for nine years. She said she would like Deerfield to have some of the amenities — such as recreation centers and libraries — that she enjoyed in her former community.
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