Meet our City Council

---

 Brian Shaver is a Fostoria native and chose to return to the Fostoria community to raise his family. As Director of Parish and School at St. Wendelin Catholic School and Parish, he has developed many relationships within the Fostoria community and attends many functions in the city of Fostoria focused on development, commerce and community building which aids in decision making as a representative at-large in the city. 
In his education, training and tenure with the Diocese of Toledo, he gained an incredible, well-rounded, insight into the many facets of running a community based non-profit business. Such facets include management, budgeting, problem solving skills, safety, resource procurement and development, communication to stakeholders, document and policy drafting, diplomacy and interpersonal communication skills. 

 Amy Mendoza was unanimously appointed to serve a 4-year term as the Ward 1 city councilperson commencing January 2022. 

She has lived in Fostoria her entire adulthood. Amy married her high school sweetheart and together, they have raised their family here. The majority of both their extended families live in Fostoria as well. Councilperson Mendoza has lived in Ward 1 since 2007 and has no intentions of ever moving. Fostoria is her home. 

Amy works full-time as the Youth Defense Administrator/Intake Specialist at Hancock County Public Defender’s Office where she has been employed for the past 13 years. She helps indigent clients who are often facing difficult situations with emotional outcomes through empathy, caring, and leading.

 Amy has a Notary Public Commission and received a Certificate for Administration and Certificate of Completion for Workforce and Community Services through Owens Community College. She is a 2023 graduate of Hancock County Leadership, 2024 graduate of Leadership Seneca County, and active Staying Ahead Mentor. 

Councilperson Mendoza is passionate about her community and helping our town continue on the path for a more prosperous future, which she is very excited about. 

I am a lifelong Fostoria resident from a family of nine children.  Most of my family still reside in the Fostoria area, including my children and grandchildren.  I built a career in the flour milling industry at The Mennel Milling Company, where I’ve worked for over 36 years.  During those years, I attended Buhler Milling School in Utzville, Switzerland, and the American Institute of Baking in Manhattan, Kansas. I served as Chairman of the Soft Wheat Quality Council USA for four years.

I have fond memories of this town when it was thriving with many manufacturing facilities, retail stores, restaurants, etc.  The loss of so many of these businesses has had a negative effect on our city, as it would any city of this size.  With that, our residents have felt the need to go elsewhere for employment and shopping.  So many focus on these negative issues rather than seeing all our town has to offer.  Fostoria has a lot to be proud of.  In the past few years, we have seen new business development.   Our residents are working together to make improvements. Efforts to bring attention to the downtown area and improve quality of life and beautification have had a positive impact.  However, I believe there are still a lot of opportunities, and I want to do my part to offer direction and support our city and the residents of Fostoria.

Sue Lehmann retired as Treasurer of Fostoria City Schools in 2021. Presently she is working as an Associate with K-12 Business Consulting and is the Office Manager for Lehmann Chiropractic Center. Sue was selected by council in January 2024 to complete the vacated Ward 3 council position when Mr. Don Mennel was elected Mayor.

She resides with her husband, Steven, on West Tiffin Street. She loves gardening, reading, lake time, and spending time with children and grandchildren. She has two children, Tim Hallman and Chelsea Skruck, both graduates of Fostoria High School, who now reside with their families in Plain City and Dublin, Ohio respectively.

Both Steven and Sue share a deep love for Fostoria and strive to support local businesses and promote the positive aspects of the community. Sue believes the greatest strength of our city is its diversity, both racial and economic, and the many people who donate time or provide financial support whenever a need arises. 

Sue decided to pursue the council position because she felt her experience with governmental operations, particularly financial, could be beneficial as the city strives to move out of the state’s fiscal emergency designation.

Fostoria is an amazing city today, yet it has been through so much both physically and financially.  As a Council Person at Large, I have called upon my past to help guide us into the future.  Having owned a business in town for over 20 years I have seen the ups and downs. For the last  35 years to current   my business Medicare Made Simple keeps me active with assisting seniors with the transition into the medicare system and investments. My campaign platform and my true desire is  to work with council to bring transparency to city business and finance.  Working with the Mayor and administration I see a goal of making Fostoria better.  Our city employees are second to none and do their best for all citizens.  Feel free to contact me with any concerns or questions.  I will do my best to be there for all the citizens of Fostoria.

 I was born and raised in Fostoria. I am a graduate of St. Wendelin High School and Tiffin University. I resided outside (about 12 miles) of Fostoria for a number of years and elected to move back in 2015. My goal in college was to go into banking, however I have spent my career in transportation, warehouse and logistics. I have been very actively involved in the startup of several successful companies. I was President of Findlay Truck Line, Inc. for a number of years and ultimately purchased the company. Fostoria has always been a great community to live and work in. I could not have been raised in a nicer community. The things that I learned and experienced, growing up here have contributed to who I am. Giving back to the community of your "roots" is not really an option, it is an obligation. My time has come to give back. To promote growth, encourage the younger generation to return here, raise a family, and help restore Fostoria to the greatness that it once had. Times have changed, but I believe this community will move forward. This is a community of people that are very giving, unselfish, and caring. No one is a stranger in Fostoria.  

 I was born in Fostoria but raised out in the country between Tiffin and New Riegel. I have many family ties to Fostoria and spent a lot of time here growing up. I knew how wonderful a community it was and eventually made my way back here. After graduating from Ashland University with a business degree, I started working in the sales department at Mennel Milling and am currently a sales manager. I then decided to move here and am now raising my family. I currently serve on various boards within the city including the Fostoria United Way, Kaubisch Memorial Library, and Geary Family YMCA. I was elected Councilperson-At Large in 2023 and look forward to helping the city flourish. Some areas that are important to me include our first responders, housing, and parks and recreation. Feel free to email me with any questions/concerns and I will do my best to answer in a timely manner. 

 I have lived in Fostoria all of my life, I was asked to be the Assistant to the Clerk of Council 4 years ago, I then became the Clerk of Council about one year ago, I enjoy the job very much and have learned a lot. I also work full time at Wolph Title, Inc., and have been an employee of theirs for 18 years, I also work part-time as the secretary of the Civil Service Commission for 7 years. I have been married to Jeff Drake since 1988 and we both are the owners of our Trucking Business for 3 years now. I have a son Joshua A. Drake and 2 beautiful Grandchildren, Liam and Rylan Drake, whom I refer to as my tator-tots. I am a 1988 graduate of Hopewell-Loudon High School. I love to antique shop and attend as many flea markets as I can during the seasonal months. My favorite sport is football and get into the games maybe a little too much.