Campaign Phone
6143957009
Occupation
Practice Administrator- Medical, Township Trustee, Business Consultant
Education
Masters Business Administration, Masters Expressive Arts Therapies
Qualifications for Office
8 years as township trustee, completion Ohio Township Association Leadership program, over 25 years experience in business administration, Water District President
Maintaining excellent services to residents while working to keep taxes from rising is a significant challenge for the township. Our residents have seen increases in taxes due to increasing home values as well as school and fire district levies. While the township portion of property taxes is relatively low, we hear from our residents that they are struggling with tax increases. Our township leadership works hard to ensure our police and roads services are lean and effective by making responsible spending decisions. We also look for and leverage our Joint Economic Development District, partnerships and grant opportunities.
Maintaining our base of leadership, key community relationships and institutional knowledge is critical for success.
1. To protect the township from further annexation by working to prevent the reasons property owners choose to annex, such as better access to water and sewer services. Our township needs to take a proactive approach by identifying areas of the township at risk of annexation and give property owners who want to remain in the township a pathway to do so. This also supports the sustainability of the township.
2. Establish a strong succession plan for upcoming retirements to ensure a long-range approach to leadership transitions, internal training and growth opportunities and talent retention. We have a small and tight-knit leadership team. It is vital that we give staff opportunities for career advancement to provide consistency.
There are a few areas of the township that could eventually see development opportunities to address housing needs. The biggest challenge we face as a township, though, is that to support this development properties need access to water and sewer. Historically this has only been available to properties that are annexed into a neighboring municipality as a condition of connecting to their centralized services. We must address this so we can balance the need for growth and give options to developers and property owners who wish to retain the township services and have more cost-effective options to responsibly develop their properties.
I frequently hear from residents in meetings, via email, in the community and on social media about their concerns or things they like that the township is doing for them. We are very transparent with our proactivity in meeting agendas to address, solicit and respond to resident concerns. We redeveloped our website this past year in order to make it easier for residents to interact with us and our initiatives and have received very positive feedback about it.
I believe we need to hear all sides of an issue before engaging in decision-making. Our township board is well-balanced in our perspectives and, while we do not agree about everything, I believe we have a sound and fair dialog before moving to vote. We also ensure the residents are aware of issues in advance so we can gain their input. I also engage with the Franklin County Township Association members, and neighboring communities for a broader perspective and bring that information into our township meetings.
Campaign Phone
(614)256-3616
Occupation
Attorney
Education
Juris Doctor & Politics and Government Major at Ohio Wesleyan University
Qualifications for Office
20 year Township Trustee / 10 year State employee / 24 years practicing law on governmental issues
The first challenge is maintaining talent at the Township. We have lost one trustee at the end of August, and we face retirements in key staff- so we will lose a lot of institutional knowledge. I have served the Township for 20 years now and have had a long history of recruiting talent. This will be a key focus of mine over the next four years.
Our second challenge will be maintaining services at levels expected by our residents while not increasing taxes. I have led the Township in finding other revenue from the State recently ($350,000) and through Joint Economic Development funds and will continue to seek new sources of revenue.
1) Expanding our Joint Economic Development District to bring in new funds; 2) Find and support township talent; and 3) Maintaining strong services for our residents. The Joint Economic Development district has and will continue to fund Township priorities if we can expand its use and bring more companies in. Finding strong talent will ensure we maintain strong services for our residents. We will continue to be good Stewart’s of taxpayer dollars. We have a long history of spending wisely.
Our roadwork, and our water and sewer lines in the Township are key to keeping the Township in good order. We have dedicated budgets and plans to keep current with these needs, and to work with other communities to address these issues jointly as needed. The unincorporated areas of the Township are primarily built out for residential housing. We have a strong working relationship with the City of Worthington which is part of the Township and we can support their efforts to improve housing options and affordability.
We often do community meetings in various areas of the Township. We will continue this practice. We will ensure that no major decision is made without resident input. This is not a campaign promise, but something we have lived for the last 20 years since I have been a Trustee. We work for the residents and they need to be engaged and licensed to.
Most importantly we need to put the Township first. When people focus on their priorities often the disagreement goes away when we focus on what is best for our Township and our residents. We need to listen to others, not try to win every issue and find a path for consensus. Having respect for those in the room often disarms disagreements. The Township has a duty to make decisions and when all stakeholders are engaged and given time to provide guidance and opinions we avoid problems.
Occupation
B2B Book Sourcing and Logistics - Senior Lead, Inventory Management at Bookstores.com
Education
B.S. Business Administration, Ohio Dominican University, Summa Cum Laude. Senior 1st Degree Black Belt, Taekwondo.
Qualifications for Office
I've been a Sharon Township Resident since 2009. I've spent the last 20 years working in management - from retail to online, I've been both a personnel and inventory manager and I've worn almost every hat at our company. One thing I've learned is that good communication is key - whether it's between departments, residents, employees, or trustees. Township choices need township voices!
Sharon Township, Worthington, Columbus, and Franklin County as a whole has seen a massive increase in home values. While benefitting long-term residents, this has resulted in exploitation by home flippers and landlords. When our family moved here in 2009, we did so because it was a safe, beautiful, and affordable place to live. Today, average people cannot afford to buy homes in our neighborhoods, and the rents have increased dramatically in turn. We have land in the township that could be zoned for new buildings that could be either be purchased or rented for reasonable rates. We need to explore solutions to this problem at a local level that will enrich our neighborhoods and serve as a template for our surrounding communities.
My goal is to bring balance back to the township. Our township's leadership has been one-sided and I fear the voices of our township residents have not been heard or adequately addressed. We're facing an overpopulation of deer in our community as a result of residents free feeding them and not culling the herd. Wild animals - indeed, they are considered the most dangerous animal in Ohio, and in our neighborhoods the bucks threaten our pets, our children, and ourselves. We need to protect the environmental balance - be it noise reduction, arbor restoration, flood control, or any number of issues that affect our quality of life. I believe we can finance these goals through coordination of current federal, state, and township funding.
Considering infrastructure, with population growth we will have an increased tax base. We need to relent from giving tax breaks to corporations so those dollars can translate into improved roads, bridges, and highways. We need to encourage more sustainable transportation options such as improved bussing and consideration of greener options such as light rail for our main corridors. People need to be able to get to their jobs wherever they may be - and as cheaper housing options may not be centrally located, we need to ensure that we are building affordable communities and look toward these not being limited by private vehicles. We are the biggest city in the United States without light rail. We can and must do better for our citizens.
First, know that my door is always open. I look forward to hearing from you, whether it's on the street while walking your dog, talking at a trustee meeting (these are open to the public - please come!), or by a simple email or phone call. I will try to be cognizant of the issues and concerns of the people, but frankly I need to hear from you if you have any concerns, ideas, or feedback - township choices need township voices! Cooperation and dialogue is needed across political, social, economic, and physical boundaries. Our township is truly unique in that our boundaries include, in addition to the township residents, the village of Riverlea and the city of Worthington. The more you make your voices heard, the better. I'm listening.
We are fortunate to have an open forum here in Sharon Township for discussion - in addition to emailing or calling any of our board members, we have a bi-weekly meeting at Sharon Township's Administration and Police meeting - that is a forum which is open to the public and where we can publicly introduce, debate, and discuss any differences in opinion. I promise to challenge the status quo in our township. With your help, let's work through it. We had a great discussion when Sharon Township residents talked to COTA regarding the bus turnaround which was built at the end of Westview. As a result of much discussion, Columbus turned an unsightly parking lot into a bus alcove with greenery and design to reduce runoff and beautify the corner.
