Chillicothe Council 2023 Election Guide

Current City Council President.

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Retired Chillicothe Fire Chief with over 32 years of service. Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) US Army, Military Police, with over 28 years of service.

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Yes, finishing first term as Fifth Ward City Councilman, 2 years as Zone Governor for the Ohio Optometric Association.

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Currently serving as a councilman At-Large.

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Yes. I am currently serving as the Chillicothe Council member from the 4th Ward. Also, I am retired from the Chillicothe Fire Dept. having served for 25 years and having reached the position of Assistant Fire Chief.

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Yes, 40 years (law enforcement & teaching at a high school career tech center)

I do not.

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I am a local investor specializing in real estate and real estate development.

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Retired Chillicothe Fire Department and US Army.

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Optometrist.

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Chiropractor.

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Retired Assistant Fire Chief, City of Chillicothe.

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Retired from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

I work in an administrative position at Ross Correctional Institution.

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I believe the citizens of the city should decide this. Ohio code states Chillicothe does not require based on population 9, therefore what would be best is to allow the voters to determine how many members represent them.

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This question comes up every 10-15 years, and every time the citizens raise the concern that less council members would restrict their voice on council matters. While many communities function effectively with fewer council members, we seem to have a nice mix of six ward council members who represent their wards and three at-large council members who represent the entire city. I’m not opposed to having less council members, but we would need to ensure that all residents are fairly represented.

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According to Ohio Revised Code a city of our size should have no more than 7.

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Yes.

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This issue has been discussed by the current City Council and it was determined that the 9 member Council is working well. I agree.

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Yes.

I really look at the big picture here and with 9 members, that would average out to roughly 2500 residents per representative. In my opinion, I think that’s a fair and manageable ratio.

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I believe council terms should be four year terms and staggered elections. This would allow members to focus on having an impact and implementing strategies rather than campaigning every other year. I don’t have a strong opinion on term limits for council, members of the community that want to be involved and are supported by voters is beneficial. Completely different situation than state and federal offices that seemingly become career politicians who enrich themselves.

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I think we should move to four year terms with half of the members re-elected every 2 years. This would allow for more continuity and reduce the risk that we have a large turnover in one election cycle possibly losing critical institutional knowledge. I am not opposed to term limits for any elected position within government. Institutional knowledge is critical for our institutions to be successful, but our ideas can become stale and an influx of new ideas can help our local government stay fresh. This allows our government to continue to grow and make positive changes and prepare for our future.

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Finishing my first two-year term has taught me there is so much to learn and minimal time to learn it, I would be open to talks about four-year terms. I believe limits are appropriate for every level of government.

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I would not be opposed to 4 year terms. Term limits should be considered. We see the entrenched corruption in Washington that is partly brought on by the stagnation of the lack of fresh people.

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I see no reason to change either at this time but I’m open to new ideas that may serve our citizens better.

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The term should remain at 2 years. As for term limits, the citizens determine this through their vote if the candidate remains in office.

On one hand I think that two years isn’t a lot of time to maybe see a longer-term plan come to fruition; on the other hand, there seems to be frequent turnover in some wards, even before a two-year term expires. I think given that each ward is different in so many ways and that there are so many variables in play, I would stick with the two-year term at this point in time. As far as term limits go, I’m not informed enough about this topic to really give a fair answer.

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My vision would be a Chillicothe where citizens can again feel safe in their neighborhoods and have pride in the opportunities that we have in our community.

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A safer and more secure community with improved city service and infrastructure.

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Thriving, smoothly operating, safe ‘small town’ in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains full of rich history dating back to 100AD.

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Continued economic development and beautification of our wonderful city to expand our tax base to increase our safety services and create a safer and healthier place for everyone to live.

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Aggressive and continuous improvement in the quality of life for our citizens.

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Develop a long range strategic plan to improve safety and security.

I envision a safer, healthier, and more vibrant Chillicothe within the next five years.

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1. Increased support for Police staffing and resources.
2. Ordinances that help law enforcement take back our public places (Bike path, Parks).
3. Address failing infrastructure – Chillicothe has extensive problems with sewer plant, sewer, street cave ins and waste water lines and general neighborhood blight.

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1. Long-term planning and budgeting.
2. Improve safety and city services.
3. Economic development.

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1. Safety.
2. Financial stability.
3. Utilities/infrastructure.

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1. Strong and tough fiscal management to allow for capital and infrastructure investment.
2. The intersecting problems of drugs, crime, and homelessness.
3. Increasing moral amongst city employees through strong compassionate leadership.

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1. Fighting the crime that plagues our city.
2. Cleaning up the abandoned houses and other structures that foster illicit activity.
3. Insuring that our city has and maintains a strong financial foundation while planning for future infrastructure improvements.

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My priorities for the city are development of a nonpartisan solution to address the growing homeless population, modernize the city’s aging infrastructure and develop a strategic plan to improve safety and security.

1. Crime in the 6th Ward and the City.
2. Negligent property owners who frequently allow drug use and other criminal activities that contribute to unsafe neighborhoods.
3. Dilapidated buildings and vacant lots.

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Advocate for tax abatements and incentives. Good employment options are paramount to addressing our neighborhoods in the most need.

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We have seen significant growth over the years in retail and service businesses in our city, but we have very limited growth in professional businesses. These are the businesses we need to attract to our communities, so when our children and grandchildren graduate college they can work in professional jobs that pay a living wage and raise their families here. In Chillicothe we have limited land which can be developed for these types of businesses, so we have to look at areas where we can use existing vacant land where it is appropriate to bring these businesses in. We must also work with our partners in the county and townships to find areas where we can work together to bring more high paying jobs to our community so we can all benefit from the continued growth of professional job opportunities. A safer and more secure city will help attract more professional business to our community as well. Improving our safety services makes our community more attractive to professional businesses when they know they will receive timely, high quality police, fire and EMS services.

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Must first improve safety and infrastructure, then companies will be more willing to come into town.

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Invest in our industrial work areas with utility infrastructure so immediate development can happen.

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I feel Chillicothe is attractive to businesses and jobs, but we need to do a better job of selling our city to potential investors. Basic economics tells us that business investors are attracted by the potential to make a profit. We need to keep taxes as low as possible and government interference to a minimum.

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Provide a sustainable infrastructure to attract business and foster a sense of safety and security.

Chillicothe and Ross County have so much to offer businesses. The biggest advantage that we have is that we’re really a regional hub that serves over 200,000 people. I don’t think we do enough as a community to really market our area to outside businesses. We have beautiful country, an amazing historic city, 3 state forests, good schools, good shopping, good food, good jobs, and excellent people. One of my goals is to bring together local vendors, farmers, and entrepreneurs to create a thriving urban market similar to the North Market in Columbus. I would love to place this somewhere on the East Side.

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The waste water plant was addressed in my current term and was by far the biggest need. After years of incredible work by the department the facility due to lack of appropriate planning by multiple administrations was near complete failure. This council help prioritize its funding. Our next biggest need is replacement and repair of sewer and water lines under streets that lead to recent cave ins of our streets. The list unfortunately is quite long due to lack of long term planning and historic frivolous expenditures

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Infrastructure includes not only buildings, but also our streets, sewer lines, water lines and other fixed assets. Thanks to the Street Levy we passed in 2015 along with the Safety Levy under the Everson administration, our streets are in better shape than they have been for decades. Our sewer and water lines are older in many areas throughout the city as we have seen with numerous issues in the last few years. A long-term plan which includes a realistic replacement schedule can help alleviate the ongoing issues and possibly reduce overtime costs associated with repairing aging supply lines when they fail. Facilities are another huge issue for this city. First we need to reduce unused and underutilized facilities and vacant land owned by the city. The city administration building (35 S Paint St) and council chambers (26 S Paint St) should be consolidated and one of the buildings sold as recommended in a facility study conducted about five years ago. Next, the Pepsi building on E 7th St which was purchased for the purpose of consolidating service, streets, parks and rec., water and sewer needs to completed. The city borrowed $1.9 million to purchase the building and renovate it back in 2019. They purchased the building for approximately $975,000, but have done virtually nothing to the building in four years while we are paying for the $1.9 million loan. We need to put the remaining funds borrowed (about $800,000) into renovating the building and begin moving departments into the building, sell the vacated properties and reinvest those funds into additional renovation of the building before we allow the administration to borrow additional funds for this building. Once we know that the administration has done their due diligence effectively using the funds already entrusted to them then we can borrow more funds if needed to finish the project. We also need to look at replacing the west end fire station to a more strategic location to support the entire west side as the city has expanded further west. The city already owns property which was donated and building plans are completed which would improve the delivery of fire amd EMS services to the west side and reduce the cancer risks associated with the older west side fire station.

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Sewer system (sewage treatment plant is in process) needs overhaul throughout the city. Water treatment plant will be needing major updates very soon as well as water lines in certain areas of the city. Streets (which are beginning to be repaved, thanks to the street levy passed in 2015).

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1. The number one need was just addressed by our current council, the waste water and sewage plant the is now under construction.
2. The actual sewer lines around the city are reaching crisis levels.
3. The city buildings such and the administration building and the old municipal building have significant needs. **We do not currently have enough funds to deal with these issues. This is why touch fiscal decisions have to be made so infrastructure investments can happen. This will take time.

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This list is long and picking one as the most pressing would be difficult. We need long term infrastructure planning so we’re not as likely to be caught unprepared. Infrastructure improvement is often under appreciated and underfunded because it’s not always visible but is vital to the survival of our city.

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Upgrading and repairing the city streets, water and sewage systems.

I’ve heard a lot of complaints about poorly maintained storm drains and sewers that allow for localized flooding in residents yards. I would also like to see new and updated lighting throughout the city. As far as addressing these issues, I would have to sit down with my fellow council members and look at current budgeting issues, go through the most immediate priorities first, then look into the outside companies that the city contracts with on our infrastructure projects to see that they’re holding up their end of the deal to the best of their abilities. After all this, I think we can begin the process of updating infrastructure.

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Affordable housing is a difficult situation for any city to address due to larger national trends – Interest rates, inflation and unemployment to name a few. I think there are areas of this city that due to crime citizens won’t consider for housing that if made safer could expand opportunities for housing.

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I’m not sure that it is available now. We have a housing shortage in our community along with many areas throughout the country. The Choose Chillicothe plan identified two areas for residential development with mixed levels of housing options. These options should be pursued while looking for other areas as well. The Land Bank had a positive impact on some properties being renovated, while other dilapidated properties have been demolished freeing up more individual housing development. This partnership with the county should also be continued and find ways to make it self sufficient.

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This is a multi-faceted challenge.

1. Property owners/landlords need to be held accountable when they are negligent. Which will create turnover of properties to folks who will care for them. This will resolve several issues, it’ll create good affordable housing options and it will improve the appearance of our city as well as morale among neighbors.
2. The ‘short-term’ rentals need to be considered looking at a balance between demand and availability vs the affordable housing availability.

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The city needs to partner with the private sector with areas like the old tiffin property as well as reclaimed properties through the land bank program to build affordable housing. Tax incentives can be used to help.

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The market and economy are the main factors in determining the cost and availability of housing. Making more housing available will increase affordability and availability. Having a business friendly council and administration that are inviting to those wanting to invest in new and renovated housing would be a start. I will do my best to help speed up and streamline the processes of residential development.

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Review the current city policies to ensure they are fair and equal.

It has correctly been mentioned that Chillicothe, and especially the eastern part of the city, are lacking new single-family housing units. With a limited amount of housing available in the city, there are missed opportunities for younger established families to upgrade in much needed space, older couples (or individuals) to downgrade in size and space, and for lower-income residents to access the more affordable, older housing stock that’s currently occupied. Simply put, we need new housing in and around Chillicothe. I have some creative ideas that could allow for vacant lot owners to partner with urban infill developers to work out a way to get new and affordable detached rental units built throughout the city.

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This should be priority number 1 and fully funded prior to any other spending. After years of defunding and making excuses for criminal behavior our police need our support. Chillicothe consistently is ranked in top of crime lists for Ohio yet is excused as “Just theft or small crime” as though thats a silver lining. How do we attract employment, host tourists from the world or have our citizens feel safe if our reputation and reality is unsafe?

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We need more police officers on the street and a more active drug unit. Training in all of our safety services is critical to provide high quality, professionl services to our community. Whether we use community policing models or other models, the key is to be proactive in our enforcement looking for ways to limit drugs coming into our community. Due to staffing numbers and the high volume of emergency calls, it limits our ability to be as proactive and limits us to being more reactive.

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Needs to be fully funded, fully trained, and bring back community policing where the officers and neighbors get to know each other, I believe this is mutually beneficial and leads to improved safety of a community overall.

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As most conservative candidates are, I am a strong supporter of our police. Therefor funding, training, community policing are essential.

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We need to support our Police Officers. They are the thin blue line between law abiding citizens and rampant crime. Currently recruiting new officers is extremely difficult and our police department is definitely understaffed. I certainly do support funding, training and community policing.

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Police funding and training should be a priority.

I think we actually need more police officers in our department. Crime has been a huge issue in Chillicothe for a long time and it seems we don’t have the manpower or morale to handle it properly. I think funding our safety services is priority number one and finding a way to fund more fire and police officers is a must! I’m not sure what the current training includes but it’s imperative that any safety service officer have extensive diversity and mental health training and be equipped to understand proper de-escalation techniques. I think our local officers need to be more proactive throughout the city.

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My belief is that trade schools may be the most under utilized resource in America. We are in desperate needs both locally and nationally for skilled workers. Additionally these can be great paying entrepreneurial jobs that allow these students to stay in Chillicothe and Ross county its a win/win

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The schools have their own school boards and operate independently from city government. That being said we can partner with trade work and trade schools to fill many jobs in Chillicothe and Ross County including many of our own positions within the city.

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This is more for school board. However, I believe we should be encouraging trade work/trade schools. These are very important jobs that are not only falling by the way-side, but also present incredible opportunities to young adults that can lead to more thriving futures than some college paths, including business ownership early in adulthood.

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Our youth are our future and should be given the investment and attention that reflects that. School choice is important. School transparency and parental involvement create healthier schools. Work trade and trade schools are more important than ever. We have over corrected as a society with the belief that a young person must go to college to achieve success or the correct social status. Many college students are graduating with degrees they can’t find a job in while the young tradesman are making 2-3 times as much.

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Education is key for achieving and maintaining at strong, progressive community. City council has very little input in to the operation of city schools, as they have their own citizen elected Board of Education and funding sources. I do believe that trade education and trade work is the future of a strong economy.

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Encourage local schools to include courses in personal finance/banking, civic duty responsibilities, and life skills. PRCTC affords students the opportunity to develop a trade to which they can enter the workforce after graduation.

I will learn more about and support our administration and fellow council members in any way that improves educational opportunities in our city. I also fully support trade schools and I believe that some students should actively choose this route over other post-secondary education options.

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City Council are the representatives of the people and should continue to oversee appointments to the health board to help ensure their values mirror the values of the citizens.

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Enforcement of city code in regards to littering (cigarette butts, needles, other garbage containing possible bodily fluids), and other health hazards of which folks don’t often think. Yes, I believe council should involved in the appointment as representatives of the community.

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Covid was a great learning experience for everyone. An unbiased and non-political view shows a tremendous failure from the pharmaceutical health care system and our government agencies that divided our country. Allowing the true scientific community, “the independent scientific community”, to play the major role in setting policies and recommendations are essential. As a Holistic Physician, an important emphasis should be placed on eating a healthy diet and proper supplementation. When sickness does arise, following the guidelines of the independent scientific community become essential. I believe council should oversee health board appointments.

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Having served many years as a paramedic with the Chillicothe Fire Dept. I understand the vital importance of protecting life and health. I feel our public health entities are doing their very best in achieving this and they have my appreciation and support. I do feel input, from council, on appointments to the health board is reasonable.

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Yes.

Given the way that the coronavirus pandemic was handled by leadership in general (in a way where many debatable things were done in the name of health with little to no knowledge of what long term effects may be), and in terms of what’s best for the citizens of Chillicothe, I do believe that elected members of city council should oversee health board appointments.

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I personally support recycling, but understand that recycling has been a costly service that does ot appear to meet the desired goals. I think the recycling program along with trash pickup needs reviewed to see if there are better, more efficient ways to deliver these services with our personnel to our city. Part of this plan might be making recycling optional for residents. I also think alternative fuel vehicles can serve a purpose for helping us deliver services to our community in a more cost effective manner. A city in Indiana is saving about $6000 per year per law enforcement vehicle with EVs with 18 month being the break even point in additional up front costs. These options would need to be carefully researched to assess their ability to provide the necessary support, but anytime we can deliver services the same or better while reducing costs, we need to explore those option.

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Consider creating/encouraging organized neighborhood clean up days; encourage more urban farming such as the share garden on W. 7th St.

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I would expect the appropriate government agencies to step up and do there job in regards to any situations that would arise and hold them accountable.

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Environmental concerns are very important to the safety and health of our citizens. We are fortunate to have high quality drinking water readily available. I’m also very pleased to see the major investment being made to renovate our waste water treatment facility. Infrastructure investment planning is the most efficient and effective way to address environmental sustainability.

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Seek guidance and advice from local, state and federal environmental agencies to ensure the city is in compliance with their standards.

I will learn more about what our citizens biggest concerns are regarding environmental issues in our city and creatively look at ways to make Chillicothe a cleaner city. This is an important issue and I hope we can really address this.

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We’ve seen support for our downtown businesses with carryout parking, DORA and other low cost ways of supporting them. We should continue this type of support. The greatest support we can provide our local businesses is to bring in high quality, professional job opportunities so we have a year round population to support these businesses while continuing to support tourism in our area.

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Looking into tax breaks for new small businesses.

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Create tax incentives when appropriate, encourage “buy local” campaigns. Our local investors and business owners have revitalized our downtown, not the government.

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Helping maintain a strong local economy depends on a city council and administration that are welcoming and business friendly. Working quickly and effectively to assist local businesses with problems shows that city officials are concerned and appreciative. The city must be an asset, not a hindrance to progressive businesses.

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We could look into tax breaks for companies that hire so many people, promote our local businesses through the economic development office and visitor’s bureau; we could look at better utility rates and providing any city resource that could help with operations. The goal is to incentivize businesses to re-invest and create new jobs in our city.

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If the topic is of interest absolutely. The current structure allows for this to happen on a case by case basis. If there was no rule at all there would be certain situations where individuals maynot be able to rein in there comments to a concise point in a timely manner

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No. This is generally adequate time and can be extended on request and approval of council.

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If it is productive/constructive then, yes.

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When appropriate, yes. The vote of council will reflect that situation.

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There are already provisions in place that allow speakers to request additional speaking time. A speaker can request additional time by just asking council. I could foresee very few circumstances where I would not agree to extend a citizen’s speaking time.

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No change, the current procedure provides sufficient time.

I believe that five minutes is a fair amount of time given that time is extremely precious for everyone, and with meetings having to start late into the evening, and with some limited opportunities for extended speaking, it seems like a reasonable offer. I suppose there could be variable time limits proposed depending on the audience size at the time of first reading.

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I prefer email so their is a record of the issue and conversation. If additional information is needed or the issue is time sensitive, I will follow up with a phone call.

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As I have done the past two years, facebook, email, phone, text. I encourage folks to reach out.

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Our email address and phone numbers are public and accessible on the city website. People have access to the council members at every committee meeting and council meetings, which are public.

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I do my best to make myself very accessible to the residents. My personal phone number and email address are readily available and I encourage residents to contact me with their problems and concerns. To serve the public is the primary reason council exists.

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I will have a phone line specifically for city council affairs. I have an email address that is available and will be available at all times. I’m looking into creating a 6th ward advisory group of all political backgrounds to get together occasionally and discuss current and upcoming issues within our ward.

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I believe this starts with our elected officials, city administration and employees in the city. We as leaders need to set the example for all of our employees to follow.

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All are welcome with mutual respect.

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I think we do a great job of that. We are a kind and compassionate small city like most small cities. Inclusivity happens organically when conservatism is present which simply promotes the golden rule that most people teach their children.

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As a council member I hope to lead by example. I do my best to be inviting, welcoming and inclusive of all people. This applies to our residents as well as visitors to our city. With tourism becoming an increasingly important part of our local economy we all must do our part.

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I plan to have conversations with people of all backgrounds, denominations, and political affiliations to learn about what the big issues are to them. I’m open and welcoming to everyone who wants to be heard. I take pride in helping people and I love the challenge of finding difficult solutions. It’s imperative that everyone feels welcomed and their voice matters.

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I believe that the 2% income tax is adequate for our city. We will be better served by expanding our tax base with economic development than by increasing taxes on our citizens. We need to right size our departments, reduce unnecessary administrative positions and iincrease employees actually delivering our safety and city services where needed by prioritizing our spending.

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I believe the crime/drug problem and enforcement needs to be improved then there will come more opportunities parents will be willing to let their children participate in.

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We are currently planning a revitalization of the city park. Our parks and rec department will continue to work hard to maintain there service areas for all citizens.

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I feel we need more community input from parents and our youth as to what recreational activities that they might participate in and enjoy. A citizen’s committee could be a good starting point for constructive suggestions.

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I would like to partner with local farms and property owners to start an Urban Farming program for youth. I’m going to take a look at defunct programs (such as a previous boxing program) to figure out ways to revive it. Partnering with the many local youth and teen programs to provide better access and transportation for our young citizens to participate in these programs. A lot of this is about being more proactive in getting the word out about our many programs that currently exist.

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All council meetings, committee meetings are open to the public, so I don’t see this being much of an issue as long as we follow the legal requirements. I would also like to see us have more open dialogue with department heads and employees to ensure we have all the information to make well informed decisions for the citizens of Chillicothe.

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Follow Sunshine laws, record committee meetings, follow up on any records requests, simply put: be a responsible councilperson.

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We do need to get our council meetings televised on more outlets. Our committee meetings should also be televised.

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If any citizen has any concerns about my transparency and accountability, or the actions of city council I sincerely hope they will let me know. I believe all government activities (except those excluded by law) should be readily visible and accessible to all citizens.

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I’m well aware that as a councilman, I’m there as an extension of my constituency and I’m beholden to them. Any decision that I make should be a direct representation of what those who elected me desire to be done.

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I believe that the 2% income tax is adequate for our city. We will be better served by expanding our tax base with economic development than by increasing taxes on our citizens. We need to right size our departments, reduce unnecessary administrative positions and increase employees actually delivering our safety and city services where needed by prioritizing our spending.

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It needs largely adjusted to better fund police, fire, and utilities (infrastructure) departments.

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The city budget needs to reflect a greater investment in capital infrastructure. Our current tax system is reflective of most cities and I don’t foresee any upcoming changes.

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I will be the best steward of the taxpayers money I can be. I am fiscally conservative and will try to give the citizens the very best value for their tax dollars. I’m sure there will be adjustments in the budget, but I don’t foresee any major overhaul.

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I’m not currently knowledgeable enough to answer this question but I look forward to learning the system and l’m always looking at ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

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As a firefighter and union member, I worked with the administration on numerous issues to improve safety and safe money. As the Fire Chief, I worked with the union and administration on numerous issues over the years to find common ground and accomplish the mission of the fire department within the limited resources available. Our job on council is to do what’s best for Chillicothe, and if all members have that same goal we will not have any problem resolving issues to accomplish what needs to be done.

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I believe it is as simple as the question states, work with them for the betterment of the city. Don’t hold by party lines just for party lines-sake. Look at the facts, trends, etc. and make a decision toward bettering the city.

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That is simply a personal choice. A person either realizes that this is about the people of our city and not themselves, or they don’t. Humility is required.

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I strongly believe actions and decisions of council should not be based on partisan politics but to serve the needs of our citizens. I will work with anyone, council member or citizen, regardless of their party affiliation. We may not always agree but I will do my best to listen and take the action I believe to be correct and proper.

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Council should work together to find common sense and workable solutions to the problems our city faces. Council members are elected to represent the citizens, not a political party.

I will look at every fellow city council member as a partner in doing what’s best for Chillicothe. I don’t look at political affiliation, I really don’t. I will look at every issue with a commonsense approach and make a decision that I feel will be the best for everyone.

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Many of our problems come from low staffing levels in our safety forces. The increased calls for emergency services which have increased two to three times in the last 35 years, while working with the same or less safety forces makes it difficult to physically provide law enforcement, fire and paramedic services in a timely fashion. This affects our employees physically and mentally as they struggle to meet our emergency needs. So one of the main goals is to find places where we can save money and increase our safety services so when you need a police officer, the paramedics or the firefighters they will be able to get to you quickly.

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Saftey/security. Fully fund the police and fire departments, prioritize those two and utilities above all else until they are sured up.

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Crime and homelessness are our biggest challenges. We need more funding to increase our safety services. We need to evaluate our laws and regulations on our drug rehab facilities and make appropriate changes that benefit our city. We need to fully staff our drug taskforce unit.

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Having served on city council for 6 months I have heard from and talked to many citizens about the challenges they face on a daily basis They have much in common. They want to live in a peaceful neighborhoods, free from drug houses, thieves, danger and fear. They want abandoned houses, vehicles and trash piles gone. They want to live clean, quiet and safe. They deserve this. It’s part of quality of life. I’ve been working with city administrators on rectifying these problems. It can be a slow process but progress has been made.

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I feel that crime is probably one of the biggest issues, but it’s not the only problem. There are a variety of complex factors in the city that contribute to high crime rates and other negative issues.

I think we can look at: Increased, proactive police presence. I also think lowering crime goes beyond law enforcement. Incentivizing rental property owners to act on troublesome renters. Connecting city landowners with private developers and working on incentives to build new working-class homes. Teaming up with local farms to start an Urban Farming program (for citizens) on vacant lots. Partnering with many local youth and teen programs to provide better access and transportation for our young citizens to participate in these programs. Building better relationships with businesses in the city and learning how we can help drive future re-investment from these businesses.

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The military taught me long-term planning and budgeting and how to manage a budget responsibly. I used these skills and experience in the fire department to develop a 40 year capital budget plan focusing on our long-term needs while still managing to cover our annual capital expenditures. We were able to purchase a squad (over $200,000) with cash for the first time in about 15 years instead of borrowing money and wasting capital funds on interest. The new fire chief continues to follow this plan (which is flexible and reassessed annually) and has over $700,000 in the reserved capital fund for future capital purchases.

The military also taught me how to assess a problem, develop a solution and implement that solution. One example of this is when we worked with the police department to combine police and fire dispatch centers after the police and fire departments passed the Safety Levy in 2015. We hired four dispatchers (significantly lower costs than police and fire personnel) and were able to put three firefighters and two police officers back out on the street for emergency response instead of working as dispatchers. This also reduced dispatch times for fire and paramedics since we no longer needed to transfer the call from police dispatch to fire dispatch. We also worked with the county a few years later to purchase a new Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) program for both agencies. This allows the agencies to interact with each other, share information if needed and reduces the annual costs of the CAD system for both agencies.

The military also taught more the importance of leadership and professionalism in our public agencies. The fire department now requires that all fire officers attend professional development training specific for each rank to ensure they are fully qualified to perform at their rank. We also improved the promotional system by incorporating assessment centers in the promotional system instead of strictly a multiple choice written exam to help us select the best candidates for promotion. Given the opportunity, I would like to put these skills and experience to work for Chillicothe.

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I am a very passionate person and willing to work hard. I have experience in small business, working with board members in various organizations, if I don’t know something, I am willing to admit it and will do the research to figure it out and/or find someone who is very knowledgable who can assist.

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I have been in business for myself for 26 years. In this business, I am a problem solver. I have learned how to motivate and manage people. I have been a motivational speaker for many years.

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Having lived in the 4th ward my entire life gives me a great perspective on what problems my neighbors and I face on a daily basis. My time on council has been a great learning opportunity. My 25 years on the Chillicothe Fire Dept. taught me much about our city and our city government. I care deeply about the 4th Ward and my city. I want only the best for both.

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In my 40 years in public service, (law enforcement and teaching at a high school career tech center) has helped me develop my skill set: decision making, cultural diversity, planning (short & long term), organizing, problem solving, developing solutions, investigating, (fact seeking), mentoring, high stress training, public speaking, team work, setting goals, and willingness to listen to others and value their opinions.

I love the East End and I know it like the back of my hand. I’ve spent the majority of my life here and I understand the issues that have been affecting this area for a long time. I think I have a good handle on what it will take to at least get the ball rolling on long-term, real and tangible changes that will benefit the 6th Ward.

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Not applicable to city business.

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I think the issue is written very vaque and broad leaving a lot open for interpretation and concerned it may take away parental rights in helping minors make important life changing decisions without parents being involved in the decision. I prefer to keep my individual vote private.

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As a Christian who believes the Bible without individual interpretation, I do not support passage of this issue.

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I believe in protecting the unborn human being. I will be voting NO.

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Issue 1 has the potential to take away parental rights to determine what they believe is best for their minor child. This issue is too broadly written with multiple, major loopholes. I will vote no.

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In an election, I feel a person’s vote is personal and on November 7th I will exercise my right as a citizen to decide if I support or oppose this issue.

I think that the wording on Issue 1 is tricky and can be open to interpretation. I don’t want to get into women’s reproductive rights. I do believe there should be safeguards and circumstances in place. I think that this issue as worded has the potential to effectively eliminate those safeguards.

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Marijuana is incredibly prevalent in our society and the city as is. Legalizing it will only increase its prevalence in public spaces and infringe on others comfort.

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As with many things, I try to look at the safety impact of any decision for my family, children and grandchildren. Studies have shown that THC usage negatively impacted participants cognitive and psychomotor functioning. Studies have also shown that testing for cannabis components did not correlate with cognitive or psychomotor impairment. So I’m unclear how we would determine if someone is legally impaired, which can make prosecution for driving impaired extremely challenging. That being said, I believe that most people who choose to use marijuana are already doing so, but wondered if legalization would lead to more or less drug usage. One study shows that in states where marijuana is legal there is a 20% increase in usage. Another study shows that it can decrease opioid cravings for people using opioids without a prescription. There are also some long-term usage issues with short-term memory loss, cognitive problems and lung damage if smoking marijuana. Just like any issue I think it’s important that we try to educate ourselves on the pros and cons of of an issue and make well informed decisions. Just like before I prefer to keep my individual vote private.

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I don’t believe my vote on this issue affects how I will operate on city council.

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My stance will be reflected in my vote.

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I can see both sides to the legalization of marijuana for recreational use issue. I personally do not use marijuana. There is some wording in this issue that does not deal with marijuana that concerns me. I’ll have to vote no.

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In an election, I feel a person’s vote is personal and on November 7th I will exercise my right as a citizen to decide if I support or oppose this issue.

I will personally be voting Yes on the legalization of marijuana. In my opinion the Pros outweigh the cons on this issue.

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Absolutely. The city tore its jail down and partnered with the county to have a combined facility which made perfect financial sense. In addition to the inmates city employees and officers use the counties law enforcement building as well. Arguments against it are semantics and stall tactics. If the mayor isn’t interested in covering the costs of city inmates/facility usage he should propose a building plan to build a new city jail.

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My understanding is that if prisoners are charged under the Ohio Revised Code either by a municipality, village or the Ohio State Patrol, that it is the county’s responsibility to house these prisoners as they are prisoners of the state. I have heard, but have not seen, that there is an agreement between the county and city on inmate fees dating back to the 1980s. I would have to review that document to see what it says and verify tht it still applies over 30 years later, and have the city’s law director weigh in on each entities legal requirements before I could make a well informed decision on this matter. With that being said, I think we need to find more areas where the city and county can work together improve services, reduce costs and make our intertwined communities stronger.

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Yes, Ohio Revised Code says we must provide a place to house our prisoners or be in contract with an entity to house them.

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Yes. Other cities do this as we once did.

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The mayor and his administration need to negotiate, in good faith, with the Ross county commissioners. When a plan is developed it needs presented before council. I will support any plan that is equitable, feasible and acceptable.

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Yes, the city should pay its share.

I think that this issue is more complex than it appears. I want the city and county to continue negotiating and hopefully come to a mutually beneficial agreement.

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Would need to consult traffic specialist and ODOT deferring to more educated planners for options.

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Finding better ways to manage on and off traffic on Bridge Street may be a way to reduce the congestion, since we failed to adequately plan for the development decades ago. Finding locations where we can add right turn lanes may help to remove some traffic from Bridge Street. Improving access from parking lots and side streets by adding dedicated turn lanes and better traffic light management could also help to improve the flow of traffic.

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This needs looked at from an engineering stand point. There is an ODOT project coming that should help, but the city needs to be prepared as well as this project moves forward.

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ODOT already has a plan to help. I believe this project will be starting in the next one to two years.

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The massive growth of businesses on N. Bridge St. has been good for our economy but has caused havoc with traffic. Unfortunately, it’s probably too late for an access road to be practical but interconnecting parking lots could relieve some of the burden.

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I would like to review any current traffic pattern studies conducted by the city engineers and department transportation to address this.

Currently, I do not have any proposals as I have not yet studied any alternative solutions.

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Would need to consult traffic specialist and ODOT deferring to more educated planners for options

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Again, finding locations where we can add dedicated turn lanes may help reduce some of the congestion. Adding additional retail traffic at St. Andrews Blvd, which is already a dangerous intersection, will not help an already congested roadway. Finding places to add access roads may help also. We have been told that at one time there was discussion of an access road on the south side of Western between Dun Rd and CVS. This could be researched as an option, but if it wasn’t completed before there may be an issue with completing the project. An access road on the north side of of Western should be explored taking traffic to the light at Centennial Blvd or Pyleys Lane.

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As a state highway, ODOT engineering has to be consulted. Taking the initiative to begin talks would be a recommendation.

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I do not have any at this time.

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Access roads where possible and interconnecting parking lots could help ease the traffic flow on Western Ave. Traffic assessments need to be completed before building permits are issued so we don’t end up with another Bridge St. on our hands.

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I would like to review any current traffic pattern studies conducted by the city engineers and department transportation to address this.

Currently, I do not have any proposals as I have not yet studied any alternative solutions.

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No, difficult to prove cause likelihood for abuse.

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I believe it may be difficult to prove that a flat tire was caused by a pothole in the city or possibly some other cause. Do other government agencies (county or state) reimburse taxpayers for flat tires?

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This would depend on a number of factors. There are laws involving if something is a glaring hazard then an entity is not responsible for damages. Also, the condition of the tires prior to the flat would have to be evaluated.

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No. That would be to hard to police and determine the accuracy of the situation. That is a very rare instance that that happens.

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I don’t think this is practical or feasible unless the city is found to be obviously negligent in some manner that results in a damaged tire.

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No. If a driver hits a pothole and causes damage to their vehicle, that is a motor vehicle crash and would fall under their auto insurance.

I’ve not took time to think about this kind of situation. On the surface, I would say “no” to that question because potholes sometimes pop up quickly and without warning. Potholes are a common problem in every city and county in this region of the country and a reasonable amount time should be built in to identify, and to gather funds and resources to fix a pothole before one could consider such a program.

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I have the skills and experience to help make Chillicothe safer and stronger today and into our future. A safer and stronger Chillicothe can help us improve economic development and encourage job growth in our community. Our city deserves leaders with a vision, but also a plan to get us there. I think I can benefit the city in helping us meet todays needs while preparing for a stronger and safer Chillicothe in the future.

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Chillicothe is a unique city full of history and potential. On city council I will work toward keeping that potential and moving it forward to action by improving our infrastructure, security, and safety first then pursuing investors to continue this potential for our future generations.

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I appreciate the opportunity to respond to our citizens. I tried to keep my answers brief but informative. If any one has any comments or questions please let me know. I welcome your input and appreciate your vote.

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My priorities for the city are development of a nonpartisan solution to address the growing homeless population, modernize the city’s aging infrastructure and develop a strategic plan to improve safety and security.

There are many more things to consider when trying to do what’s best for a community and its people. Everyone has their own ideas of what they think could be better or what needs fixed. Some residents might have problematic neighbors, some residents might have a backed-up catch basin that causes flooding, some may have a pothole in front of their house, and so on. That’s why my initial goals will be focused on learning how things work, taking complaints from citizens to see how I can help, and learning how to collaborate with the proper officials to get your issues fixed. And with a little time and patience I can get to the hard work of bringing new life to a very deserving area.

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