Hartkemeyer has been active in local and regional organizations, including Caring Like Angels and Heroes and the Jo Ann Davidson Leadership Institute, and attributes the success of the township over the past two terms to the trustees and administration. She said collectively they have “solidified our financial position and built for the future.”
The township has replaced an outdated fire station, built a new public works facility and widened roads. She said the board will work over the next four years to “strengthen our financial position to safeguard our future,” streamline methods of providing services, and promote economic and community development.
“I’m humbled to be honored by our citizens with their vote of confidence,” said Hartkemeyer. “There are a lot of great things on the horizon for Fairfield Twp. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve for four more years.”
Berding, who will transition off Fairfield and Butler Tech school boards at the end of the year, called the 2021 race for trustee “a team effort.”
Berding received 31.7% of the vote. He said on Tuesday night that the voters’ “message was clear.” Hartkemeyer deserved another four years on the board, and voters recognized the work he and his wife, Fairfield Twp. Trustee Susan Berding, have done in the community, he said. Susan Berding, who was appointed in 2016 and elected in 2017, decided not to seek re-election, which opened the door for Michael Berding to succeed her on the board.
Berding said he and Hartkemeyer “knocked on almost every voter’s door in Fairfield Twp.,” going out to meet the residents “and found out what they wanted. ...[T]he common theme was residents are very happy with the direction Fairfield Twp. is headed and this is a great place to live and raise a family.”
Berding’s public service career, which includes nearly a decade on the Fairfield School Board, has previously served on both the township’s Zoning Appeals Board and Zoning Commission.
Hartkemeyer’s top spot among the four candidates was solidified by winning nine of the township’s 19 precincts. Berding won six, and the pair tied for the most votes in one precinct. Political newcomer Denise McCoy won three precincts, according to unofficial results. McCoy earned 26.9% of the vote, and Benjamin Wall rounded out the four-candidate field with 8.3%.
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