Sherman elected Medina mayor, with Padoleski, Prawel picked new trustees

Medina voters today elected Marguerite Sherman as mayor, with Debbie Padoleski and Mark Prawel as village trustees.

MEDINA – Village residents today elected Marguerite Sherman to be Medina’s next mayor. Sherman received 330 votes to the 158 for Mike Maak.

Sherman has been a village trustee the past 10 years and is the current deputy mayor. She is a retired special education teacher.

Voters also elected Debbie Padoleski and Mark Prawel as village trustees. Padoleski received the most votes for trustee with 267 followed by 198 for Prawel, 195 for Jeff Pasnik, 185 for Tim Elliott and 91 for Mat Mosher.

Sherman was pleased to see the interest in several candidates for the board. Many of the recent village elections have been uncontested for the incumbents.

“I’m excited for a new beginning,” Sherman said after the results were announced at about 10:30 p.m. “I’m grateful to the village residents for putting their faith in me.”

Sherman said all seven candidates have a lot to offer the village. She urged the candidates who came up short for election to stay involved in the village and perhaps volunteer to be on a village committee.

Padoleski is retired from the village as clerk/treasurer. She said the new trustees and board will be busy working to get the budget adopted by the end of April. She looks forward to digging into the budget details to see if there are possible cost savings for taxpayers.

“I’m anxious to get to work,” she said at the Senior Center, after waiting 90 minutes for the paper ballots to be counted.

Prawel is a retired Medina police officer and owner of an auto repair business. He said the village’s rising tax levy is pressuring many residents, making the community unaffordable.

Sherman will replace Mike Sidari as mayor after his eight years in the role. Sidari didn’t seek re-election.

He was at the Senior Center after the polls closed and waited to hear the results. Like most residents he said he is concerned about the tax burden in the village, and the need to put an addition on the fire hall. The board should continue to work with the Economic Development Agency to help businesses expand in Medina and entice new ones to choose the village.

Medina also has land that could be developed for housing which would boost the tax base, Sidari said.

“I wish the new board the best,” Sidari said.

The terms for the new mayor and trustees start on April 1.