Pirates question leaders

PERKINS TWP. — The next generation of leaders, politicians and area residents filed into Perkins High School's auditorium ready to participate in the Register's 2025 in-school debate series. Three candidates — incumbent Tim Coleman, incumbent Jim Lang and challenger Lisa Crescimano — were seated in front of more than 50 students who were prepared to ask questions on topics they care about as citizens of the township. This year's debate series is, once again, sponsored by the Greater Sandusky Partnership. Ahead of the debate, the Register employed students in Craig Wessels' class to write the questions. "They came up with (the questions) on their own," Wessels said. "They were things that they were interested in, and it was a lot of fun going through the process of that." In his words, Wessels' hope for his students is that they "find something that they give a damn about." He compared their view on the world to a horse with blinders on, and he wants to pull the blinders back. "They can start to see that there's stuff out there," Wessels said. "There are people like the individuals here that are making decisions about their lives, and if they don't pay attention, they are going to go, 'Wait a minute. Why did that happen?'" By participating in the debate, sharing the recording available on YouTube and discussing what they learned and experienced, students can make an influential difference to those around them, according to Wessels. "You can see how they answered the questions and maybe it will influence the parents' vote, or if it is somebody who doesn't vote, it will motivate them to get out there and cast a vote," Wessels said. Student participation On the day of the event, several students were eager to confront their township officials with hard-hitting questions. Ella Mischler, a junior at Perkins High School, asked the candidates about enhancing engagement and involvement in the decision-making process. "I asked this question because I care about everyone in the community having the opportunity to voice their opinions and participate in discussions on topics important to them, ensuring all perspectives are heard," Mischler said. The debate helped Mischler identify areas she needed to learn more about, which influenced the question he asked. She said this experience also strengthened her understanding on her topic and allowed her to practice respectful communication. From everything the class did through the debate process, Mischler said her biggest takeaway was the experience she had. "It caused us to consider what we'd like to improve or introduce in our community," Mischler said. "We also had the chance to express our concerns, which might have connected with others as well. Overall, I believe we gained a deeper understanding of the debate process and how to truly understand the candidates' perspectives." Christian James-Smith, also a junior at the high school, said he enjoyed the debate. He feels better educated and believes young people should become more involved, which was also the topic of the question he asked. "This matters to me because I was very curious about how I would get more involved and what I should do," James-Smith said. The debate exposed James-Smith and his classmates to the idea that people can have different thoughts and viewpoints. Like James-Smith, Lillie Price, another junior at Perkins High School, was also interested in the candidates' priorities for the youth. She wanted to know what the candidates could do for residents her age to keep them in the area after they graduate. "A lot of people are brought (into the area) by the farmland and the activities of Sandusky city, but not everyone is a farmer, and most of our activities are not year-round," Price said. "This matters to me because I want to be able to see our area grow into a good place to work, raise a family, and go through life as a whole." During the debate, Price noticed the candidates focused on their past accomplishments rather than the future and struggled to answer the more in-depth questions. "These questions are tough and unavoidable, and I think they help people make more informed decisions when voting," Price said. Building off of Price's opinion that candidates struggled, Brylan Harvey, also a junior at Perkins High School, said his question was not answered fully. Harvey wanted to know what the township has done to reduce drug use and abuse, and what more can be done. "I asked this question because I've seen many people in my community ruin their life with drug abuse," Harvey said. Regardless, Harvey said the opportunity to ask the question was great. More debates To hear the candidate's responses to Harvey and the other students' questions, check out the Register's event coverage. A full recording of the hour-long debate can also be found on the Register's YouTube channel. This was the second debate in the Register's in-schools debate series for 2025. The Register's next debate is scheduled for today at Sandusky High School with the Sandusky school board candidates. This debate will not be open to the public but will be available to view in its entirety shortly afterward on sanduskyregister.com and the Register's YouTube channel. Like the township trustee candidates, the Register recently published individual question-and-answer news stories on each candidate who shared their reasons for running. Individual candidate stories can be found by clicking on these links: Incumbent Martha Murray Incumbent Jennifer Chapman Challenger Jennifer Ashburn Challenger Talib Garrett Note: Print readers can search for the articles on sanduskyregister.com and norwalkreflector.com. The Register's also covered the Edison school board debate on Sunday with the help of Edison High School students participating in the Berlin Heights Kiwanis Club's speech and debate team. Coverage of the Edison Schools debate can be found online and on the Register's YouTube channel.