Jon Hanson, Etnatimes, May 7, 2025
Mr. Evans of Etna is in full campaign mode; of course, he has been in campaign and destructive mode since 2021. He is carefully stacking up his ½, ¼, and 1/8th truths and practicing his bully lines, like “I, sir, follow the LAW!” The line is always shouted with practiced faux indignation and self-righteousness. He convinces a few.
One of the laws Mr. Evans does not follow is the law of common courtesy. Never mind me, he attacks the people he works with daily. I annoy him with political cartoons and songs (a competent politician would not be so fragile). He seems to believe I only poke fun at him because he drove my wife (8 months as an administrator) out of the township position. We were paid a settlement because of Evans’ bullying and tried to move on. Then he sued our real estate company, costing us $30,000. Of course, his actions were found by the court to have no merit (just political revenge), and he cost the township $60,000 in fees and ordered Etna to pay our legal fees.
Mr. Evans is a big liability to the township. He spent $160,000 of township funds persecuting my family. He is harmful to the employees and Etna’s finances, making Etna Township a laughingstock in Newark and Reynoldsburg. Like in the repeated cartoon below, Evans sued his township, hoping to overturn a zoning permit that I was granted. Suing yourself is lunacy.
Trustee Evans creates a culture of fear that shuts down discussion and eliminates any psychological safety that residents or even fellow trustees and employees deserve. He shuts down progress.
Trustee Evans creates a culture of fear that shuts down discussion and eliminates any psychological safety that residents or even fellow trustees and employees deserve.
I stand by my earlier public comments, “Trustee Evans would rather the township fail, than for him not to be in total control.” He highlights this in every meeting and on his True Love “Facebook” daily. He pretends to be an expert on finances, but public records tell a different story. He attacked the other trustees, questioning their credentials, but in a recent deposition leading to another lost case, he disclosed he had not finished college. Interestingly, only under the threat of perjury can Trustee Evans be candid. In our court case for fees, he finally admitted the nasty texts threatening others, and the one he says, “I’m still hitting Nita with a bunch of Public Records requests,” apparently designed to keep the staff (all three he drove out) from doing their jobs. There can only be chaos with Evans in Etna.
Trustee Evans can only attack, not build anything, including a coalition of employees to accomplish the needs and goals of the township. He spends his time attacking the agenda, a typo, and lamenting no one is doing things “right” (presumably his way).
Mr. Evans is from Chicago and seems to have brought Chicago thug-style politics with him. Trustee Evans came in on a negative tear-down campaign and now is desperate to find something to “run against,” he desires chaos, and he lives for it, whether it is tiffs or anything else in the past. He is running against the past because he has no future. Trustee Evans has no positive plans; it’s not in his makeup. He is a critic, an inspector, and an excuse machine. Ninety percent of his comments are criticizing others, I feel sorry for Trustee Evans and am not sure how attacking everyone (even those not running for his seat) can work.
He is attacking the two trustees he campaigned for a short time ago. Below is a parody song and video my friend Danny Jones sang for me when Burkholder ran (when Gary Loved Mark). The song didn’t make sense at the time for the Burkholder campaign; now that Mark is attacking Gary, it is illustrative. It highlights the instability of working with Evans. Even if he loves you, he will turn on you when you do not bow to his wishes. Ask any of the 10 people he has driven from the township.