2023_YSNElectionGuide_p01

2 H H H 2 023 VOT E R’ S GU I DE H H H Y E L L OW S P R I NG S N EWS millage. The 7.9-mill bond issue represents an annual cost of about $277 for each $100,000 of appraised property value. The 1% ongo- ing income tax will be appended to the dis- trict’s current income tax rate of 1%, making the total school district income tax rate 2%. CANDIDATE RACES *An asterisk denotes incumbent. VILLAGE COUNCIL There are three open seats on Yellow Springs Village Council. The News asked the candidates the following four questions: 1. If elected to Council, what will be your top three priorities? 2. What will you bring to the table as Council begins its search for a per- manent village manager in 2024? 3. In what ways do you believe the Village could generate more revenue without creating an additional tax burden for residents? 4. What do you believe are the advan- tages and disadvantages of an engaged and passionate community base, and how can Council best leverage com- munity interest in local issues? What about the interests and passions within the Council body itself? CARMEN BROWN* BIO: Greetings, I’m Carmen. I’m hon- ored to launch my second campaign for Village Council. With a deep love for our community, I am committed to foster ing smar t - g r o w t h w h i l e ensuring our little blue dot thrives. There really is room at the table for everyone. Question responses: 1. I’m committed to finally building signifi- cant affordable housing. The general defini- tion is housing units, apartments or other- wise accessible and affordable to individuals or families with low to moderate income, typically meaning paying no more than 30% of the household’s income for housing. I’m dedicated to improving and maintain- ing or replacing existing infrastructure; my grandfather always said village infrastruc- ture was piecemealed, and after my term on Council, I understand why. Finally, I’m committed to mindful growth, not just growth for growth’s sake. 2. I’m not sure I understand the question; I’ll answer the best I can. The most crucial attribute of a village man- ager is a team player who can confidently del- egate tasks without feeling the need to micro- manage every aspect of village projects. Secondly, we must have a village man- ager who is a doer and who takes into con- sideration others’ perspectives but doesn’t let their ruminations or the ruminations of others stall progress. At the same time, the village manager must have a track record of seeing projects through from initial plan- ning phases to completion. There are ways to ensure through a thor- ough vetting and interview process that any potential permanent village manager meets those criteria. 3 . Large and tiny municipalities get money or build revenue through user charges like utilities, property tax and aid from the state and sales and use tax. Revenue diversifica- tion is something that towns continually grapple with. We have a few options to explore in the coming years, some more popular than others, but as a community, we will have to make tough decisions about how to do that. I’m confident we can figure it out with our history of doing just that. 4 . My belief about the advantages and disadvantages of an engaged and passionate community base is of no consequence. The First Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” In this instance, the Council is the govern- ment, and as a member of the body, I swore to uphold the Village Charter, the laws of the state of Ohio and the Constitution. The bottom line is that people get to say what they want, when they want, to whomever they want. Are there consequences? Of course. Can it be uncomfortable? It can be, absolutely, without a doubt. However, these facts do not allow Village Council to dictate how folks express themselves. Council can best leverage community inter- est in local issues by working to ensure that we create a culture inwhichwe carefully listen to the concerns of our entire community, not just the groups that we are familiar with or comfortable with personally. Regarding inter- ests and passions among theCouncil body, we are charged with integrating our interests and passions with those of the community. GAVIN DEVORE LEONARD* EXPER I ENCE : I have been doing non- profit social justice work professionally and as a volunteer for over 20 years, leading me to many re l evant exper i - e n c e s . I h a v e worked extensively with budgets and financials, decision-mak- ing with boards and coalitions, and on many frequently discussed public policy issues. My full history and resume are detailed in my 2022 letter to Village Council (when I applied for the vacant position) and can be found here for your further reference: bit. ly/YSletterGDL. B IO : I have been on Village Council since May of 2022, when I was selected to fill a vacant seat. I believe there is value for the village in continuity in this role, so I am now seeking my first full term. I am still learning and I find it an interest- ing and meaningful challenge. I believe our Village government is very effective and that we can make significant improvements. I think steady leadership will be important toward those improvements. I have spent all of my thinking life pursuing social justice professionally and with much of my free time, and I see this role as part of that pursuit. Question responses: 1 . Top three priorities: • Improving decision-making process, transparency and goal-setting; • Suppor t ing a f fordabl e hous ing development; • Supporting sustainable, values-driven budgeting and financial decisions. 2. I will be open-minded and thoughtful about what is in the best interests of the village, including for villagers, Village staf f and the many stakeholder organiza- tions that we work with to accomplish shared goals. I have participated in many leadership transitions and hiring pro- cesses in my professional and volunteer roles and will bring that experience and perspective to this phase of our organiza- tional development. 3. We need to be very clear about what we need revenue for before we decide if or where to get it. Assuming we can set clear priorities and goals, I support generating revenue to meet our goals. I do believe there are priorities, like affordable housing devel- opment, that warrant the need for additional revenue, but we have work to do to specify our goals and how much revenue is needed. I worked on state budget and tax policy for a decade, specifically working to ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share toward the great public services that make our communities stronger. Raising revenue that will not raise taxes for those who can least af ford to pay is challenging given state restrictions, most notably our inability to pass a progressive income tax due to state law. I have begun conversations about a municipal income tax increase paired with a means-tested basic-income-style payment, but it will require more study as there is no existing program like this in the country to date. 4 . My favorite thing about Yellow Springs is that it is an engaged and passionate com- munity. As one metric of this engagement, when we were considering moving here, I saw in the paper how many people wrote letters to the editor, and the rates of civic engagement are impressive. Obviously, there are disagreements, and it can be hard to get big things done, but I believe with effective process, we can make hard deci- sions for the good of the whole. There is no quest ion that Yel low Springs is a considerably more active civic environment and that the Village accom- plishes much more than most places this size as a direct result of that community interest and action. Passionate Council members contribute to this process. It can certainly be frustrating navigat- ing all of this engagement and passion, but the alternative sounds boring, and I don’t think we would achieve better out- comes with less interested parties. TRISH GUSTAFSON EXPER I ENCE : I have 21 years of experi- ence in local gov- ernment. BIO: I am a mother, an advocate for people with disabil- ities, an avid gar- dener and an artist. I am the founder of Owen’s Place, a universally designed re- creation area for people of all abilities located in Beavercreek, which is named after my oldest son. I have 21 years of experience in local government. During that time, I managed the Human Resources Department and worked directly with trustees and fiscal officers. I also managed the budget for my department and took part in annual budget hearings. Question responses: 1. Housing, especially apartments, are greatly needed within the village. We need to continue to work toward this goal while at the same time balancing our budget and replacing monies withdrawn from our investments. Council will be unable to sus- tainably tackle the first, without resolving the other two. 2. I have 21 years of working directly with and for the township equivalent of a village manager. As a result, I have a familiarity with the demands and expectations of a municipal manager position. I am uniquely situated to assist with this process to hope- fully avoid the expense of an outside consul- tant, which will save taxpayer dollars. 3. Employers are increasingly finding it difficult to fill vacant positions, especially within the public sector. The Village of Yellow Springs has employees with a lot of talent and experience. If we are able to develop service level agreements with other communities that have open posi- tions, this can be a win for both sides: offsetting the cost of our employees, while offering an alternative without the over- head to our neighbor. Beyond this, I like the idea of paid parking within the Village. 4 . I believe that having impassioned Council members, as well as members of the community, is always an advantage until one side, or both, stop believing in the voice of the other. Council can best leverage com- munity interest and the participation of our community by being transparent and allow- ing voices to be heard during meetings with respect and true listening. As for the inter- est and passions within Council, the passion of one, or two, Council members should not override the majority of the whole. Recogni- tion of a common goal must always be the priority in order to move forward in the best interest of the Village. SCOTT OSTERHOLM E X P E R I E NC E : Since 2015 I have been on various boards or committees: Human Relations Commis- sion, the committee to find a village man- ager, the committee to find a police chief, the Board of Zoning Appeals and Planning Commission. The latter two I am currently doing. BIO: I moved to Yellow Springs in 1987 and graduated from YSHS in 1988. I spent a lot of years when I was in my 20s travel- ing the country working for a stained glass restoration company. Yellow Springs was my home base. Eventually, in 1998, I moved to Columbia, South Carolina, to do stained glass and historical window preservation. In 2014, I returned to the village. I currently work for Cresco Labs as a packing agent and every Saturday at the Ye Olde Trail Tavern. Question responses: 1 . Top three priorities: • Restoring trust back in Council; • Finding a way to get more apartments in the village; • Ensuring our infrastructure projects are moving forward as planned.