Wooster City Council members are elected to represent citizens, oversee the city budget, set policy, and create ordinances. Key responsibilities include reviewing and recommending changes to tax exemption agreements, providing public feedback to the council, and potentially serving as liaisons to city commissions and committees. They are expected to attend council meetings, engage with residents, and ensure laws serve the needs of the community.Core Responsibilities:Representation: Council members act as the voice of the citizens, ensuring their needs are represented in the city s decision-making processes.Budget Oversight: A primary responsibility is overseeing the city s budget, including establishing and approving expenditures.Policy & Legislation: They are responsible for setting city goals, establishing policies, and creating or amending city ordinances and resolutions.Community Engagement: Members attend city events, participate in council meetings, and gather feedback from residents to stay informed about community needs.Specific Duties:Tax Matters: The Wooster Tax Incentive Review Council, which includes council members, reviews tax exemption agreements and provides recommendations for their continuation, modification, or cancellation.Charter Review: City Council appoints a panel to review the city charter and then votes to place proposed amendments on the ballot for citizens to approve or reject.Advisory Roles: Council members may serve as liaisons to city commissions, committees, departments, or other organizations to provide oversight and support.Public Hearings: They participate in public hearings to hear citizen input on important local issues, and citizen input is a part of every first and third Monday city council meetings.
What is your current occupation and education?
Help Desk Manager at Ashland University I have a Bachelor's Degree in History and Political Science from Ashland University.
Housing Affordability - I will work with the rest of City Council, the City Administration, and community partners, such as Wayne Metropolitan Housing Authority, to establish a clear
definition of what affordable housing means for Wooster. The City currently lacks that definition and it will be easier to continue to work on a solution once we are working with a
shared understanding of the needs of our community. We can then use that definition to build more affordable and varied-income housing units that working- and middle-class people can afford.
Transparency and Communication - Decisions that City Council makes affect all Wooster residents -- and I want to help make those decisions more transparent and communicate them to my constituents. One of the most common complaints that I have heard from people is how it feels that the City makes changes, with too little communication about those changes to the citizens of Wooster. A prime example is the change in recycling pickup frequency from every week to every other week. I have yet to talk to anyone who realized that change was going to happen before it happened. We can do better -- and I’m running in order to do so. I think one of the main things that City Council should do is expand the opportunity for residents to comment on legislation before passing it and to more clearly explain the stakes and pros and cons of issues before decisions are made.
I am currently involved with the Citizen’s Academy, which is giving me very detailed insights into the workings of the City, from the budget to how drinking water gets from the ground to your tap. I have previously served on the boards of various community organizations. I was the Education Chair for the Champaign County Audubon Society and the Treasurer for the Decatur Audubon Society. I’ve been involved in Wooster politics increasingly in the last couple years and am a member of League of Women Voters of Wayne County and the Wooster/Orville NAACP. I am also one of the co-founders of the Wooster Advocacy group, which has organized food drives to help tackle local food insecurity and advocated for local concerns on a variety of other issues
Wooster has become a real home to me and I want to see it thrive and grow even more. I appreciate and love the things that make Wooster special, from the Saturday morning Farmer’s Market (a staple of weekends in the Agsten-Owens household) to all of the parks and the thriving local businesses. I understand that these parts of what make Wooster special don't happen by accident. They happen because communities come together and make them happen. I am running for City Council in order to contribute to this community and its members and help us reach our shared goals. I am running to ensure that Wooster works for all of us.
As I have gone door-to-door throughout Ward 4, I have had the pleasure to meet many of my neighbors with a variety of opinions and insights. I have greatly enjoyed these
conversations and learned a great deal from them. If elected, I plan to continue these conversations and also use my website to inform my constituents of upcoming legislation and allow them to email me directly with their opinions and concerns. I will also invite my fellow residents to participate in City Council meetings and discussions. I plan to represent all of Ward 4, not just those who vote for me.
Campaign Phone
330-274-9025
What is your current occupation and education?
Executive Director; Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Calvin University (Grand Rapids, MI)
Social Media
Facebook: Carrie4Wooster
In my conversations with community members, the issues of housing, keeping our community a safe and welcoming place for all, and smart growth that balances the need of healthy cities to grow with the goal of keeping our small-town, friendly feeling, have been mentioned as top concerns. I will support the efforts the city has already begun to respond to the housing shortage with a variety of types of housing coming to Wooster.
I also think it’s very important to encourage a neighborhood mindset where people know each other, look out for one another, and care enough about their area to maintain and improve the place where they live. I’m a supporter of partnering with non-profit groups to help citizens in areas of need whether that be for housing, food, clothing, or beautification efforts. Many of these partnerships already exist and I look forward to expanding the network between non-profits and the city.
I've volunteered with Cornerstone PTO, Junior Service Club, a Girl Scout leader, the advisory board of Wayne County Children's Services, the parent group of the Speech & Debate team at Wooster High School, the CIRCLE Coalition; I'm a foster parent and business owner of a shop in downtown Wooster. These experiences have given me a wide range of experiences in working in the Wooster community and schools and seeing needs first-hand.
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a concentration in State & Local Government. I like listening to the experiences and suggestions of others and building solutions to those problems. I think my overall temperament, training, and personal life experiences make me well-suited for City Council.
I am running for this position because I love Wooster and I have benefitted from this community for two decades. I want to join with others who care about the city to continue to improve and refine Wooster as we grow and face new challenges and opportunities in the future.
I have made a point to be accessible from the start of my campaign and I plan to continue doing so. My cell phone number and email address are readily accessible, and I have had numerous times I’ve been available during published hours, at a coffee shop or park, to discuss issues of concern to the community. If elected, I plan to establish monthly “Coffee with Carrie” hours that I’ll be available to talk on a drop-in basis.
I am also going door-to-door to my ward to introduce myself, and I’ve been asking for feedback about problems or praises they have for the city. This is giving me good, direct information on how citizens in Wooster feel.
I look forward to getting input throughout my campaign and if elected, as a councilwoman.
