10/04/2026
ROUTE 231 | PART 5: THE MEETING THAT ENDED WITH JIM DISTEL STEPPING ASIDE
Before Clinton Township trustees voted on the Route 231 rezoning request, a resident challenged whether Trustee Jim Distel should participate at all.
The May 28, 2026, special meeting turned into a lengthy confrontation over campaign signs, communications with project representatives and Distel’s role in the zoning process.
Follow SkyView Media so you don’t miss the remaining parts of this series. It’s free, and there’s more to this story than the proposed senior housing development.
Jeff Stockner, a nearby resident and practicing attorney, led the challenge.
According to the meeting minutes, Stockner said he had worked in the prosecutor’s office for 20 years. He was attending as a citizen, not serving as the township’s attorney.
Stockner questioned Distel about discussions involving the proposed Frontier housing development before the Zoning Commission held its hearing.
Distel said Bryce Riggs had called a couple of days before a township meeting to say he would be attending.
Riggs, representing the Seneca County Collaborative, said he had contacted all three trustees. He also said his first call was to Zoning Inspector Jeff Hohman to ask about the rezoning process.
Riggs’ involvement extended beyond notifying trustees that he would attend.
At the May 28 meeting, Stockner referred to Riggs’ appearances before trustees on February 9 and February 23 seeking support for Frontier’s project.
Riggs said all three trustees had expressed concerns about flooding and that he relayed those concerns to the developers.
Stockner argued that trustees needed to remain neutral and that gathering information from project representatives before the commission’s hearing compromised the process.
Distel pushed back, saying he had been directing the project representatives to zoning.
Riggs also criticized the first zoning meeting, saying there had been no decorum and therefore no process.
Stockner disputed that description. He said the Zoning Commission had managed the meeting well and argued that the problem was trustees becoming involved before the commission completed its work.
Stockner also questioned an earlier letter of support for Frontier’s project. He referred to Distel’s motion for trustees to sign an edited version of that letter and argued it showed support before the zoning process was completed.
Distel responded that he had made clear the project still needed to pass zoning.
The discussion grew sharper when Stockner brought up information Distel had distributed to residents.
Stockner said the materials included information about Frontier, site maps and a list of its other developments. He argued that signing the letter as a township trustee could suggest support for the proposal.
Distel apologized for how it appeared.
He said residents had approached him at work and called his home asking why they had not received notice. He explained that he distributed information more broadly along Tecumseh and Crestview in response.
Then came the campaign signs.
Stockner said Distel’s county commissioner campaign signs had been placed on FSD’s property, including the land involved in the rezoning request.
He argued that the placement created a conflict and called for Distel to recuse himself.
Resident Ann Fretz also questioned the appearance of a campaign sign beside the property being considered for rezoning.
According to the minutes, Distel agreed and said that was why he moved it. He said he had gone to school and participated in athletics with the people involved.
Distel initially said he was considering recusal. Later, he said he would prefer to seek counsel and asked whether the matter could be delayed.
The meeting also included a tense exchange with Aaron Smith.
Smith said he was speaking on behalf of FSD. Stockner objected, arguing that an LLC needed a licensed attorney to represent it at the hearing.
Smith then said he would speak as a citizen.
He accused Stockner of strong-arming the meeting and questioned whether Stockner supported community growth. Stockner responded that his concern was the integrity of the proceedings.
Smith asked that the matter be tabled so the company could obtain representation. Trustee Randy Kuhn said he was not interested in tabling the meeting.
A resident also asked whether Zoning Commission member Jim Fruth had received materials he requested during the commission’s meetings.
Fiscal Officer Steve Welter said it was unknown whether Fruth had received them.
Eventually, Distel announced that he was recusing himself and left.
The minutes do not say whether Distel consulted legal counsel before leaving. SkyView Media has not confirmed whether he did or what ultimately led him to recuse himself.
The remaining trustees proceeded with the vote.
William McKinney moved to accept the Zoning Commission’s recommendation to deny the rezoning application. Kuhn seconded the motion.
Even the wording of that motion prompted another exchange.
Stockner asked that the motion clearly identify the rezoning request being denied. Smith questioned whether Stockner was legally advising the trustees.
Stockner said he wanted them to be clear about what they were voting on and reiterated that he was attending as a citizen.
McKinney repeated the motion. Kuhn seconded it.
Both voted yes.
The rezoning request was denied.
Stockner’s legal arguments were his position at the meeting. The minutes do not establish that an ethics violation occurred, and Distel’s recusal does not establish an admission of wrongdoing.
SkyView Media emailed Distel on September 29 seeking his response for this story. As of October 4, no reply had been received. His responses during the May 28 meeting are included above.
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