Wilson passionate about her hometown

SANDUSKY — No matter what she does, whether at or away from work, she always puts her hometown first. Luvada Wilson loves Sandusky, and her passion for the city spilled over into a campaign she undertook these past few weeks. After serving as Erie County's clerk of courts, Wilson pivoted to a different public office, now focused on becoming an elected official for the city near and dear to her heart. Wilson represents one of five candidates seeking to join Sandusky's city commission heading into 2026. In preparation for the upcoming election, the Register has reached out to all city commission candidates so they can share information about themselves and their reasons for running. Here's what she said: Q: Who are you? What is your professional background/qualifications for this position? LW: I was born and raised in Sandusky. I am a proud 1976 Bicentennial graduate of Sandusky High School. I thereafter attended Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science. Upon my return to Sandusky in the early 1980s, I eventually married Robert Wilson, raising two children, Abram and Ashley. After my children graduated from Sandusky High School, I continued my education, attending the University of Toledo College of Law where I earned a juris of doctor degree in 2006. I am blessed to have four grandchildren who are the joy of my life. I am also the former Erie County clerk of courts, having served this community from 2011 to 2024 as such. I have also worked as a law clerk for the Honorable Judge Tygh Tone, an administrative assistant for the Honorable Judge Ann Maschari and an Erie County probation officer under the supervision of then-chief probation officer Lawrence Fuqua. In addition to these county roles, I have served as a mental health technician for Sandusky Schools, working with students with severe behavioral challenges, and a case manager for Firelands Mental Health and Recovery. My entire adult life has been devoted to serving this community. Q: What is one issue or challenge within the city, and how do you plan to address it? LW: Since running for city commissioner, I've had several of our citizenry make known to me their concern about affordable housing. That will be one of the challenges I would love to partner with other commissioners and the citizens of our community to address. The current city commissioners are the recipients of the Welcome Home Ohio Program, which established over $3 million in funding to support affordable housing. We see the evidence of these homes being built within our community, and, as such, these new homes are designated for purchase to families earning 80% or below the area median income. I commend our current commissioners for promoting affordable home ownership in Sandusky. Yet it is difficult for other citizens to afford the increased cost for apartments. As a first step toward maximizing apartment living, we should compile a list of assets owned that would be suitable for affordable housing, then sell or lease that property at a reduced cost to builders so that more affordable housing can be built. This will also permit the commissioners to continue to support the community land trust. Secondly, it is important that jobs that come within our community are able to sustain a middle-class environment, thereby giving our residents enough capital to afford apartments that are energy efficient and of sound quality. Q: What are the main reasons you've decided to run? LW: What I discovered, after losing the race for clerk of courts, is that I still have a passion for public service. My entire adult life has been that of service to others. Once I moved back to Sandusky after college — whether it was assisting students at Barker School in the mid-1980s, working with mentally challenged patients at Firelands, assisting probationers to find a place to flourish in Sandusky, working with judges to satisfy the needs of the court and community or running a successful clerk's office for over a decade — my passion has always been to help our community. I'm at an age now where I have more time behind me than I do ahead of me. Yet I have a desire to continue to serve my community and be of help to all of Sandusky. So, passion is primary. Secondly, this community gave me a great foundation to build on. It was here that I was born. It was here where the adage, "It takes a village to raise a child," formed in my life. I have received a great spiritual and scholastic education that has permitted me to become the person I am. I'm not done growing and contributing. I simply want to give back in order to move ahead while continuing to enhance the condition of our city. Lastly, I am committed to uplifting our community. With your support, I know we will continue to improve Sandusky and make it a model city to live, work and raise our families. I am excited to run for city commissioner, and I look forward to uniting our voices and efforts to create a positive impact on economic development, infrastructure, public safety, health care and housing. Q: Why should the community vote for you? LW: What I want to be is a voice for this community. The kind of commissioner I envision being is one that will listen to the totality of the community no matter your political affiliation, racial or ethnic background, your economic status or position in the community. What is important to me is that you are heard. After being an active listener, I want to gather all the facts that pertain to a concern and then apply wisdom. We may not always agree, but you will know that I have taken the ample time to listen to the citizenry, examine the facts gathered and apply those facts as wisely as possible. I will have you in mind. City commission roundup In Sandusky city commission's race, five people are competing for three seats: • No incumbents are seeking re-election: Dick Brady and Dennis Murray Jr. can't run because of term limits, and Steve Poggiali won't attempt to win another four years in office. • Five challengers all want to fill these three open seats: Patricia Ferguson, Gregg Peugeot, Tim Schwanger, Tom Tucker and Luvada Wilson. The top three vote-getters win four-year terms starting in January. There are four city commission members — Jeff Krabill, Richard Koonce, Kate Vargo and Dave Waddington — whose seats are not up for election this term. They will continue their duties on the board until their terms expire in 2027. In-schools debate To learn more about each candidate and the issues important to them and the student body, watch the return of this year's in-schools debate series. Sandusky Central Catholic School will host the Sandusky city commission debate on Wednesday, Oct. 22. The public cannot attend this specific debate. Viewers, however, can watch the debate in its entirety at sanduskyregister.com and the Register's YouTube channel shortly after the event concludes. Students representing St. Mary Central Catholic High School will pose questions to the candidates. The in-schools debate series is sponsored by the Greater Sandusky Partnership. Confirmed dates for this year's series: • Edison school board — Sunday, Oct. 12 • Perkins Township trustee — Tuesday, Oct. 14 • Sandusky school board — Wednesday, Oct. 15 • Sandusky city commission — Wednesday, Oct. 22