Village of Oakwood City Councilman, Joshua Duslak, has pulled papers to run for Mayor in the Fall election on November 7th. Duslak, who is a graduate of Paulding High School, has served on the Oakwood City Council since October 2020. He has been a resident of Oakwood since 2005 where he met his partner of 17-years, Britney King. They have two active children, Brooklyn (15) and Jaxson (8).
“I have deep family roots in Oakwood and have always called it my home,” says Duslak. “However, over the years I have seen the Village slowly deteriorate losing businesses, jobs, and other opportunities for residents. It’s my love for the community that brought me to the City Council, and I believe now it’s time for me to step-up to lead Oakwood to a better and brighter future.” Duslak added.
Like Paulding County, Oakwood has seen a decline in population over the last several decades. In the early 1980’s, the population of the Village of Oakwood was approximately 900 residents. In 2020, the U.S. Census placed the population at 546.
“There are several different reasons why Oakwood has struggled over the past several decades. The loss of local businesses and jobs would be at the top of that list. And though it would be shortsighted to just blame local leadership for the decline, I do believe it’s time for a fresh perspective and a new approach to turn things around in our unique Village,” Duslak says.
Duslak is currently employed as an Operations Warehouse Manager for ValuePoint Solutions in Toledo. He is active on many different committees for the Village of Oakwood including serving as vice-president of the Oakwood Ball Association, participating on the committee of the Oakwood Hometown Heroes program as well as facilitating the annual Village of Oakwood Garage Sale event. Duslak is also a member of the Oakwood Development Company, Inc.
Oakwood has a very distinguished history dating back to the initial construction of the original trans-continental railway in the mid-1800’s. Today, Oakwood community challenges include business and family residential growth, neighborhood revitalization and improved infrastructure and municipal water, just to name a few.
“I’m bullish on the future of the Village. I believe that strong municipal leadership promotes civic pride – and through civic pride and working together we can bring change that makes the Village of Oakwood better for all its residents and businesses,” Duslak said.
