Meet the Candidates - Adrian and Archie City Officials and School Board

Next Tuesday, April 3, voters will go to the polls to vote for their choice of representatives for the Adrian and Archie City Councils and school boards positions. In Adrian, one candidate is running unopposed for Mayor, while a lone candidate is running unopposed in Archie for the East Ward seat. There is also an open seat on the Archie City Council for the West Ward seat in which voters are asked to write-in their candidate choice.

There are three seats open on the Adrian City Council, that of Mayor and the North and South Wards.
Incumbent Mayor Larry Ritter is a real estate appraiser. He is married to Linda and they have two children and five grandchildren. Two candidates are running for North Ward Alderman: RoseMarie Randolph and Danny Ferguson. RoseMarie is a retired federal employee. She has also worked with people in real estate and retail sales and as Adrian City Mayor. She has one son and daughter-in-law and several grandchildren. Danny Ferguson is a computer programmer. He is married to Sara and they have a 10 year old daughter. Two candidates are running for the Adrian South Ward City Council seats: Robert J. Hess and Joyce Talley.
Robert (Bob) Hess is a retired army veteran and conservative Christian with a BS in Criminal Justice and a MS in Police Administration. He and his wife D.K. have lived in Adrian since 2005. Joyce Talley is a department manager for Walmart in Butler. She is married to Chuck and they have five children and 12 grandchildren, about half of whom live in the Adrian area. She has also served on the Adrian City Council.

There are five people running for the two open seats of three years each on the Adrian School Board. They are: Jim Tenholder, Tim Lovejoy, Bret Still, Valerie Wood and Michele Burris. Jim Tenholder is a farmer and seed dealer. He is married to Lisa and they have four children and five grandchildren. Tim Lovejoy is a project manager for a mechanical contracting company. He is married to Rhonda and they have two children. Bret Still works in food safety and is employed at Elanco. He is married to Debbie and they have two children. Valerie Wood is a homemaker who is a member of the Altona Women’s Club. She is married to Doug and they have five children, three of whom are Adrian graduates who were in the top 10 of each of their senior classes. Michele Burris is the Managing Editor for The Adrian Journal. She is married to Mike and they have two children, one in third grade and one in sixth.

The City of Archie has only one candidate running for office. Mark Houchen is running for the East Ward seat. Voters will be asked to write-in their choice for representation of the West Ward. Mark Houchen sells used cars and has his own repair shop. He is married to Tanya and they have two young children.

There are three candidates vying for the two, three year seats on the Archie School Board. They are Wade Platter, Allison Wilson and Dennis Kurzweil. Wade Plattner is the owner/agent of Wade Insurance Agency, LLC. He is married to Tina and they have three children. Allison Wilson is a mathematics instructional coach. She is married to Robert and they have four children. Dennis Kurzweil is a life-long farmer. He is married to Linda and they have four children, all of whom attend the Archie School.