Six apply for Ward 6 council seat
By Kevin Kelley
Westlake
Published Dec. 10, 2008

Six Westlake residents have applied for the soon-to-be-vacated City Council seat currently held by Nan Baker.

Baker, who defeated incumbent state Rep. Jennifer Brady in the Nov. 4 election, will resign at the end of the month to assume her new job in Columbus.

Under the City Charter, council will select a successor to Baker’s seat. Council plans to interview the applicants Thursday. The chosen individual will fill the remaining 12 months of Baker’s term.

The name of one of the seven applicants — Mark Getsay — is likely to be familiar to many who follow Westlake politics. Getsay, who currently works as controller of Westlake-based Sea-Land Chemical Co., served as treasurer of Baker’s successful campaign. He is also chair of the city’s Civil Service Commission.

Getsay declined to comment on speculation that he might be considered the frontrunner among the Ward 6 candidates.

“I think there are several good quality candidates,” he told West Life.

Getsay, who is a member of the Republican Central Committee of Cuyahoga County, said he has given thought to seeking a council seat, if the opportunity should arise, for some time. He also said he may run for the seat in November if he is not selected, but his decision will depend on who has been chosen.

The other applicants are:

• Mark Boepple. Another Republican Party Central Committee member, Boepple established and has run a printing company. In his application letter to council, Boepple said he plans to run for the seat in 2009 and has already formed a campaign committee and obtained a campaign Web site.

• Joseph P. Koncelik. A Columbus native, Koncelik moved to Westlake in May 2007. Now a partner in the law firm of Frantz Ward LLP, he heads the firm’s environmental protection division. He served as director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency under Gov. Bob Taft in 2005-06. A former Ohio assistant attorney general who specialized in environmental enforcement, Koncelik has 12 years of experience in state government.

• Ginny C. Krouse. Currently a student life advisor at Cuyahoga Community College’s Western Campus in Parma, Krouse previously worked as associate dean of student affairs at Bryant & Stratton College. She has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Ohio University and a master’s degree in sociology from Cleveland State University.

• John Kosatka. A 1983 graduate of Westlake High School, Kosatka is business operations manager of KW Holdings, a Cleveland-based residential remodeling company. He previously worked as director of admission as the Great Lakes Science Center, where he oversaw box office and related sales. He holds an M.B.A. in management from Tiffin University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Baldwin-Wallace College.

• Michael Lamb. A Shaker Heights police officer, Lamb studied criminal justice at Tiffin University. He also has experience as a small business owner, most recently running a property rehabilitation and sales company.

Tony Falcone, an insurance company official, had submitted an applications but withdrew because he does not meet the City Charter’s residency requirements. Although he grew up in Westlake, he moved out and then moved back less than 18 months ago.

For her part, Baker said she is not endorsing any of the applicants.

“There are several that I know,” she told West Life.

Baker said she does not plan to participate in council’s interviews of the applicants on Thursday, nor will she participate in council’s delibrations on chosing her replacement. Baker, who will resign on Dec. 31, said she may vote as part of council’s formal confirmation of the successful applicant once the decision has already been made.

On the Web:

• City of Westlake