2021_YSNElectionGuide

3 Y E L L OW S P R I NG S N EWS H H H 2 021 VOT E R’ S GU I DE H H H BRIAN HOUSH* I love my engage- ments with villag- ers. You get what you see with me, and authenticity has been central to my public of ficial per- sona. I am a Council member because I love our commu- nity, and I don’t have anything to gain besides ensuring that our quality of life is maintained and improved. I am dedicated to working with truth rather than disinfor- mation or misinformation, and I love living in a community that generally values local elected officials who are “real” and are res- ident-focused versus self-interest-focused. My work with the YS Arts Council during my first years in town, promoting our local artists and all that is creative about the village, was a great opportunity to really dig into our community, and this contin- ued with my management position at the Little Art Theatre. I transitioned into the Midwest policy manager position for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy office, which we located in Yellow Springs to address climate change and contribute to our tax base. I established the McKinney Middle/ YS High School Speech and Debate Team in 2017, and have had the privilege to work with our local youth who are making a huge impact with their original speeches about justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. I grew up near Yellow Springs in the very conservative West Carrollton, but early on had a recognition that the prevalent explicit and implicit biases were wrong. Graduating from Cornell University in industrial and labor relations and, subsequently, attending Tulane Law and Business Schools helped me to fur ther challenge those biases. These experiences further motivated me to evolve, and I moved to Thailand to develop my perspective, inner peace and empathy. Notably, the transition from Bangkok to Yellow Springs was seamless in the sense that our residents, generally, “get it.” My eight years interacting with com- munity members as a Council member have been extremely rewarding, and my favorite part of the job is collaborating with residents. Honestly, I did not expect to run for a second or third term, but it continues to be clear to me that institutional knowl- edge is vital to keep initiatives moving forward rather than constantly restarting. More importantly, I am concerned that COVID and Trump have created such deep scars that many are experiencing PTSD, which makes it easier for fear-mongering, disinformation and other tactics to have a significant impact on our decision-making and who we align with. Primarily, I am running again because I will continue to strongly advocate for get- ting things done, and this requires collabo- ration and positive intent. I am for Yellow Springs and understand the importance of representing all constituencies in our com- munity — being civil and informed is how we achieve results! 1. The best approach to economic growth in Yellow Springs, reflected in Village goals for the last several years, focuses on good- fit businesses that respect our community values while bringing quality jobs for our residents. This requires continuously addressing the deferred maintenance with our critical infrastructure, which was not intentionally and actively tackled by former Village Councils and managers until 2014, despite significant general fund reserves that should have been invested decades ago when Yellow Springs had a much stronger stream of tax revenues. Certainly, much of the growth that will improve qual- ity of life for residents is not centered on tourism, thus your government has been supporting local initiatives that improve our community’s health; however, the dol- lars brought into the Village from visitors who love our creative culture, help to sus- tain our downtown businesses — many of which are vital to villagers — and generate revenue to fix sidewalks, improve parks and generally invest in our community. I took the lead on establishing a lodging tax, a standard across Ohio and the world; there was significant push-back and doubt about what this would generate, but my position that more than $40,000 would come to Yellow Springs annually has been confirmed. I feel strongly that paid park- ing in the central business district is a no-brainer —we can still provide free park- ing for those who are willing to walk a few blocks — and I believe this will generate at least $100,000 per year to support our village. This addresses the questions of how we balance and assuage — your local government is facilitating new businesses that are tourism-oriented and aligned with our village values while focusing on attract- ing entities that diversify our economy as well as working with nonprofits, such as Agraria, that add so much value and great jobs. 2. The housing crisis is widespread throughout our nation, and the Village of Yellow Springs certainly feels the impact of this on diversity and villagers’ security. The 2018 Bowen Housing Study was an impor- tant initiative to understand the types of housing stock needed in our community, and has helped to direct current initiatives. Ultimately, we lack homes for families who value our excellent schools, seniors who want to age in place, and local employees who would prefer to avoid the commute and lower their carbon footprints, also affordable rentals are a primary gap. The Village team is actively working on several strategies, which include duplicating the pocket neighborhood model that Home, Inc. facilitated with the Glen Cottages project that has helped long-time resi- dents stay in town as well as working with Oberer and other developers to provide a mix of housing products, e.g. multifam- ily, duplexes and permanently affordable homes. The Village has been very success- ful in negotiating for more affordable hous- ing, which includes developers’ funding essential infrastructure improvements as well as greenspace and recreation ameni- ties. I am committed to encouraging all housing types, which will promote equity and resilience, in line with the Bowen Study. Notably, in-fill development needs to continue, which our current zoning code encourages; and, I strongly support inclusionary zoning proposals that will further encourage market-rate and afford- able residential development that support the needs of our community. We recently secured over $200,000 in grant funds for housing improvements — with a very small match guarantee — representing the majority of what dollars were available across the state. The plan is to continue to collaborate with local nonprofits, progres- sive developers and citizens to do what often might seem to be impossible — and we are making a difference. 3. The No. 1 priority at this point is to focus on pandemic recover y, and our Village team has done an incredible job during COVID with keeping the budget balanced — unlike prior to 2014 — and securing all available county, state and federal funds to keep our village healthy and thriving. I greatly appreciate that this has been a team ef fort for the most part and that most Council members have avoided causing additional stress for our team members and have stayed focused on “keeping the lights on” and doing every- thing we can to stay committed to contin- ued improvement for a sustainable com- munity and to supporting our residents. In parallel and complementary to intentional recovery ef forts, there are several mean- ingful initiatives that will be impactful and should be prioritized over proposals that are not essential at this time — particu- larly, municipal broadband, infrastructure improvements, social justice and climate change mitigation initiatives. While I do support all initiatives aligned with village values, elected officials must realize that all activities take staff time and they should be responsible about prioritiz- ing the initiatives that will provide the most benefits for our community. Developing solid goals and staying focused on them translates to ef fective government, with maintaining and improving quality of life for our community being the primary criteria for priority initiatives. Specific to the project areas noted above, if re-elected, I will focus on establishing a community review board to enhance relations among community members and police officers, implementing such recommendations as more commu- nity solar as well as facilitating energy effi- ciency improvements for renters and hom- eowners to lower their carbon footprints and utility costs, and continuing to maintain and enhance our local infrastructure, with municipal broadband being among services that will support economic development, affordability, quality of life and resiliency. SCOTT OSTERHOLM I moved to Yellow Springs in 1987 from Bentonville, Ark., and graduated from YSHS in 1988. I worked at the Ye Olde Trail Tavern for a few years before I got into stained glass resto- ration. Back then, I also played in three of the adult softball leagues, and now I’m trying to help bring softball back by coaching the Dayton Street Gulch softball team. I have traveled all over the country doing stained glass and historic window preservation. In 1999, my work moved its headquar- ters to Irmo, S.C., so I followed. I was married and have two grown children: my step-daughter, Erica, and her son, Henry; and my son, Miguel. I moved back in 2014 to be closer to my kids, who both live in Xenia. When I came back to Ohio there was no debate: back to Yellow Springs, my home. The place where I always found my way because I’ve got those friends who will tell me when I’m wrong. It’s always good to stay grounded. I got involved in the community by get- ting on the Human Relations Commission as an alternate in 2015, and I was on the Vil- lage Manager Search Committee in 2017. Currently, I serve on the Village Board of Zoning Appeals, and I just received and accepted an offer from the village manager to join the Citizen Advisory Board in find- ing a new police chief. Finally, I am a truck driver for BD Transportation in Dayton. I am home every night. 1. We need smart growth. Utilizing the Center for Business and Education, or CBE, land to attract new businesses that offer good paying jobs. I also like using existing buildings. Millworks has come along nicely, and the old lumberyard being turned into a market with a restaurant is a great move. As far as tourism goes, Coun- cil has to shed this reputation of caring more about tourists than locals. And if you haven’t heard that, then you are not con- necting with the working class. I would suggest being as transparent as possible and listening to villagers a bit more. 2. The pocket neighborhood like Glen Cottages is one idea, and I would like to see more of those built. But we need all kinds of housing, according to the Bowen Housing Study. I would like for Section 8 vouchers to be more widely accepted. As far as infrastructure, I’m sure we can find grants at the federal level that could be used not only for new construction, but also for improving existing infrastructure. 3. I would love to see a continuing effort on low-income housing. I personally know people who work here but can’t afford to live here. I went through that struggle myself. I had to switch careers in my mid- 40s to stay in Yellow Springs, so I feel I have some insight on that reality. That is my main goal — a pet project I would like to implement. And I can’t take full credit for this idea. When I was on the Human Rela- tions Commission, Steve McQueen II and I tried to figure out a way to support our local food banks, which I feel is important, because no one should be hungry in Yellow Springs. Another idea we kicked around was providing a meal for our less fortunate during the holiday season. Af fordable housing and infrastructure will be my main focuses. KEVIN D. STOKES* I have ser ved on Village Council for four years and am seeking re-election. I am mar ried to Karen Gardner and have lived in Yellow Springs for almost eight years. I have three children by a previous marriage, Christopher, Daniel and Danielle Stokes; and two step-children, Jonina Kelley, who also lives in Yellow Springs, and Jesse Hernandez. Together, Karen and I have six grandchildren, two of whom live in the village. I enjoy biking, golf and hanging out with friends and family — including our dog, Pepper. I was born and raised in West Dayton and am a graduate of Patterson Cooperative High School, The Ohio State University (B.S. in computer information systems) and University of Dayton (mas- ter’s degree in education). I am currently employed as the senior director of facilities and technology at Antioch College, where I