Today, via her campaign Facebook page, Plymouth Ward 4 Candidate Sarah Derr Sterious announced that if elected, she will be donating her Plymouth Council annual stipend to the local fire companies who serve Ward 4. Sarah stated, " By refusing taxpayer monies as a stipend for sitting on council and giving it back to our community in this way, I hope to encourage you to also give back to your community in some way. "
According to the 2019 Plymouth Township budget, total "Council Salaries" are listed to cost $20,625. Each of the five members of the council receives $4,125 before taxes. The after-tax donation would be a nice bump to the Fire Companies or any local community group.
We reached out to Cheif Mitchell Kijak of Plymouth Fire company who informed us the fire company always remains neutral in politics and they never attempt to influence their members to vote for one candidate over another. Chief Kijak added "we do accept and operate on donations from residents and businesses. It means a lot to Plymouth Fire Company when we receive the support of our community. Businesses and residents will show their support in different ways such as monetary donations, equipment donations, refreshment donations, cards, letters, and attending the public events we participate in throughout the year."
Sarah is running against Kathy Bandish in a race to replace Lenore Burno who has reached her term limit in Ward 4. We reached out to Kathy Bandish and her running mate Chris Manero in Ward 2. Chris Manero stated "I think that is a very nice gesture. Our fire companies work tirelessly for our residents and can always use community support."
Sarah's running mate Chris Mundiath in Ward 2 responded to our request for comment noting he also saw her announcement on Facebook and he would be honored to join Sarah in donating his annual stipend for the betterment of the community as well. The general election takes place on November 5th.
You can find Sarah's official Facebook page here. We have also created a general information page to highlight each person running on our Local Election Page.
You can visit and donate to Harmonville and Plymouth Fire Companies by visiting their respective websites.
