2021_YSNElectionGuide

7 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 connection to the environment, a sense of community and relevance in dialogue with larger global issues. I believe that giving our youth a strong foundation is key, not only academically but also with an ability to embrace a sense of self-discovery, determi- nation and engagement with one’s commu- nity and the world. 3. Public schools are perhaps the greatest equalizing force in our society. All children have the right to learn in a safe, healthy, accessible school environment. I believe it is our social and civic responsibility to pro- vide our youth with the skills and support necessary to thrive. I support the facilities levy. I am aware of how much we are paying now for outdated, failing structures that do not properly retain heat or permit all students with disabilities to have their learning needs met. I think that the district has done due diligence working with community mem- bers and experts to arrive at a plan that is the most comprehensive and cost ef fective over time. Costly renovations will not fully address the scope of necessary improve- ments, nor will they help our community to be a place that retains and attracts families and teachers. I see Yellow Springs at a critical junc- ture — much of our identity and progres- sive values seem to be slipping away. We must maintain a strong, thriving, diverse school system if we are to be a healthy community. Today’s children will have to tackle some of the biggest challenges ever faced, and they certainly will need all the help we can give. If the levy passes, it will be a time of visionary change in our schools and our community, and one in which I am excited to be a voice at the table. I would like to help shape the next phases of collabora- tive inquiry and creative thinking that will accompany this process. If the levy fails, YS schools will be put in the difficult position of being under- resourced and “patching” problems that will still need to be addressed. I am com- mitted to securing the supportive, safe and healthy environment our children deserve. MIAMI TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE There are two seats up for election on the Miami Township board of trustees. The highest vote-getters will serve a four- year term. The News asked the candidates to submit a short biography and respond to the following three questions: 1. What are your views on agritourism? 2. With the anticipated retirement next year of fire Chief Colin Altman and the ongoing transition from a primar- ily volunteer-run fire-rescue depar t- ment to more paid staf f, how do you plan to address changes in leadership and depar tment makeup as well as the additional funding that will be required? 3. The focus of the Township zoning code is agriculture. What does that mean to you, and do you support that focus? Relatedly, what kind of relationship would you promote between the Town- ship and Village concerning matters of zoning? DON HOLLISTER* I grew up in Yellow Springs. My parents met as Antioch Col- lege students, and my grandparents retired to Yellow Springs. In marriage and continuing after a divorce I co-par- ented two daughters in Yellow Springs — four generations in our Village. I love Yellow Springs and Miami Township. I am currently Chair of Miami Town- ship Trustees, a board member of Greene County Community Foundation from 2004– 16 ( reappointed in 2021), and a community conversations coordinator of the James A. McKee Association since 2016. My past community and civic service has included: Explorer post advisor, 1973–75; Village Plan- ning Commission, 1974–77’ child and family policy analyst on Ohio Gov. Dick Celeste’s staf f, 1983–86; Village Council, 1993–99; acting director of Glen Helen, 1999–2000; Tecumseh Land Trust Board, 2001–07; Greene County Board of Elections, 2004–12; Ohio FarmBureau Healthy Waters Commit- tee, 2014–15. I also worked as an indepen- dent carpenter and later taught adult educa- tion carpentry classes at the Greene County Career Center from 2000–03. 1. Fundamentally, I support continued production of food or conserving open space on land zoned as agricultural. When township citizens identify an area as zoned Agricultural there are a set of expectations that are as much shared memories as legal definitions. Even though it is not food production, people would not blink at a horse farm that rents stables and teaches horseback riding. They might begin to wonder about traffic generated by scheduled group horseback trail tours and loudly object to a horse race track or horse exhibitions. But where is the line between what we would allow as agricultural and not? The legal concept of “agritourism” was introduced by a change in state law rede- fining “farming” to include “agritourism,” regardless of local intentions or rules. This is an unfolding area of legal dispute where case law is still sorting out what is allowed as “agritourism” and what is not. I would tilt toward defining an Agricultural zone as for food production or land conservation. 2. Leadership change should follow a con- ventional job advertisement and interview process. The decline of the volunteer base of small towns and rural fire departments across the country is disappointing. A key factor is increased training requirements for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) who staf f ambulance service, and most of our calls are for a medical emergency rather than a fire. We are seeing a dramatic increase in competition from city fire and rescue departments for our experienced staff. The township has just increased pay for EMTs. I have asked for a projection of our payroll costs over the next two years. The current Fire and Rescue tax levy expires then. 3. Seventy percent of our Township is in active agriculture. I support that pattern. Some land adjacent to Yellow Springs and Clifton villages is zoned for low density residential. As a resident of Yellow Springs I advocate using existing utility infrastructure for denser use. I would discourage annexa- tion of farmland for residential use unless it is already zoned residential. MARILAN MOIR I f i rst moved to Miami Township when I was 25 years old. I lived in Clifton and then Yel low Springs. That was in 1988, over 30 years ago. I have two remarkable chi l - dren that I raised in Yellow Springs and they are out in the world doing very well. I currently live with mywife of 16 years, DawnCooksey, and our fourth-grade daughter. I worked many years in the Yellow Springs economy. I was a house painter, a carpenter, landscaper; I baked for two different bakeries in town, and I cleaned houses. I even spent a few months of my life painting the Clifton Mill, which was one of my favorite jobs. Eventually I profes- sionalized, and for the past 20 years I have been teaching high school biology and environmental science at Belmont High School in Dayton. I have a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from The Ohio State University and a mas- ter’s degree in education fromWright State University. 1. My view on agritourism is that it gives farm families or farm cooperatives the opportunity to expand their agricultural activities and supplement their incomes in imaginative ways while providing enriching experiences for the public. I think it has the potential to create more diverse types of farming in Miami Township because it allows growers more avenues for direct marketing and more ways to interact with the community. The Ohio Agritourism Law of 2016 elevated agritourism to a special status and states that Townships may not prohibit agritourism on the basis of zoning. This change has driven many communities, including our own, to labor over the ques- tion of what qualifies as agritourism. So we are not allowed to prohibit agritourism, but I am especially concerned that there is fair- ness in the decision making process regard- ing what is considered to be agritourism. 2. As in many lines of work, there are cur- rently worker shortages and competition for employees in the field of fire and rescue. In recent months, multipleMiami Township fire and rescue employees left for neighbor- ing communities that pay more. This left the remaining staff stretched precariously thin, in overtime to get the job done. At the Sept. 8 meeting, Trustee Chris Mucher led the charge to overhaul the wage scale for all levels of hourly employees. It appeared to be long overdue as we were well below the regional average for wages and we risked being left short-handed on the township’s most important responsibility. The raises, which are substantial and deserved, now place us above the regional average for hourly positions. Many thanks to Chief Altman who has served our community for more than 25 years and has delayed his retirement plans to see us through COVID-19 and staffing shortages. With his anticipated departure next year, comes an opportunity to be very intentional about what we do next. This is an opportunity for a thorough and open hiring process for a new chief, the face of the department. This would also be a good time to analyze the staffing structure of the department. We currently have a salaried chief and assistant chief, an hourly lieuten- ant, and part-time fire and EMT positions, along with a few volunteers. Is this the structure that best serves us? I honestly don’t know, but now, as we are writing a job description for a new chief, which in this case is a once-in-a-generation change, it may be a good time to take stock of the entire opera- tion. Perhaps we should consider hiring an interim chief to give ourselves time. Chris Mucher reports that the township is currently facing monthly shortfalls in the fire and rescue fund. It is clear that the allo- cation of fire and rescue salaries will have to increase in the future. For now it is being buoyed by other funds, which appear to have excess. It is difficult as a citizen, with limited information, to get a clear snap- shot of the overall health of the Township finances. That will take some time. The Township has 10 or more different funds, many of them appear to be robust. There is talk of a levee renewal in a couple of years. I would not feel comfortable sup- porting it until I have a firm understanding of Township finances. If elected, I am look- ing forward to educating myself, and in turn, educating the public. 3. The vast majority of land outside of Yellow Springs and Clifton is zoned agricul- ture and that has meaning. Very specific, codified meaning. I’m trying to imagine the township in 30 years and the view is uncertain. When I moved here in the 1990s I watched in horror as surrounding townships quickly became sprawling commercial strips and rows of houses. I don’t think that will be our fate. It can’t be developed in that way without extending utilities, and I don’t fore- see a Yellow Springs annexing spree. What are the allowable uses on agricul- turally zoned land? Agriculture of course. And right now it is predominately com- modity crops, corn and soybean. Agraria Center for Regenerative Practices, located in the township, offers a vision of nonin- dustrial, human-scale, integrated farming. I think that small farms, with more diversi- fied crops in combination with agritourism, could be viable if it is nurtured and valued. In addition to agriculture, current zoning allows landowners to sell three-acre lots for single-family dwellings along the road frontage. Economic pressure on farmers is driving this. It’s easy to imagine this trend continuing until there are single family homes on all available road frontage in the township. Is that what we want? Do we have any choice? Another possibility is annexa- tion to the village for planned unit develop- ments, like we are doing at the south end of town. Both of these uses only provide hous- ing for a narrow slice of the community. Is there any possibility that we could one day annex township land to the village and create housing that is more economically inclusive? This might be an area where the village and township can work together. I do agree that the Township should be zoned mostly agriculture, and a past com- munity visioning process has shown that most of the township feels the same way. But I think that we can’t cling so tightly out of fear of losing it, that we miss opportuni- ties that could culturally enrich and coexist in an agricultural township. If we say no to zoning changes or conditional uses that would complement the rural landscapes that we seek to maintain, we may lose