School Board Forum Gets Answers From Candidates. Body Recovered at Hoover.
Westerville School Board candidates answered questions on Wednesday night at a public forum sponsored by the Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce at the Westerville Public Library.
The five candidates, from left to right in the photo above, are Tatjana Brown, Nafiso Jamale, Anisa Liban, Kristy Meyer, and Mark Stevens, who gave measured answers to the 21 questions composed by a crowd of about 40 people. There are three seats open on the board.
The questions, moderated by Otterbein University President John Comerford, ranged from discussions about school funding, book bans, ICE, artificial intelligence, and how they would measure their success after four years if elected.
The candidates often referred to their personal histories with Westerville schools and their families as reasons they should be elected to the board. Meyer and Liban both mentioned that they are current members of the school board. Meyer is running for reelection after four years, and Liban is seeking to retain her seat after being appointed last year to replace Nancy Nestor-Baker, who retired after 25 years as a board member.
Brown said her experience as a Westerville business owner and mother are elements of her life that make her the perfect choice for the board.
Jamale, a social worker, highlighted that she is a former student who returned to Westerville after earning her master’s degree, where she has been working with children since her undergraduate years, and she wants to bring that experience to the board.
Stevens said his 25 years of teaching music in the Westerville school system give him a unique perspective to bring to the board.
The original plan was for each candidate to have 90 seconds to answer a question. That was shortened to one minute late in the forum, allowing for more questions to be asked. Each candidate had two minutes at the end of the evening for a personal statement.
The entire forum, broadcast live, may be seen on the Chamber’s Facebook page.
Body recovered from Hoover Reservoir; investigation ongoing.
Authorities are investigating after a body was found in Hoover Reservoir near the Smothers Road bridge on Wednesday morning.
Emergency crews from Columbus and Westerville responded to a report of a body in the water shortly after 10 a.m. The victim, described as an adult male wearing a brown hooded sweatshirt, was pronounced dead at 10:30 a.m. by medics on scene.
Columbus Police have confirmed there are no signs of foul play at this time. The identity of the man has not yet been released, and investigators are still working to determine how long the body had been in the water and how the man ended up there.
Calendar - Thursday, Sept 4
Uptown Review Board — Regular Meeting — 6:30 p.m., Westerville Justice Center, 229 Huber Village Blvd.
Agenda items:URB 2025-18: Sandwich board sign at 25 N. State St. (Talip Kucuker).
URB 2025-19: Amendments to the board’s rules and regulations.
URB 2025-17: Exterior work at 30 E. College Ave. (paint, masonry, gutter repair, door replacement).
City Council Candidate Forum — 7:00 p.m., Renaissance Columbus Westerville–Polaris (Chamber event; FB Live available).
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