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Bellbrook City Council candidates not looking for big changes

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By Katherine Ullmer, Staff Writer 11:32 AM Thursday, October 13, 2011

BELLBROOK — The five candidates vying for three open seats on City Council do not disagree that the city is or has been well managed.

As they prepare for the Nov. 8 election, they said they want to be part of keeping their close-knit community the way it is, though each hope to offer fresh ideas.

“I have no complaints about anybody,” candidate Harold Jeffries said. “There are empty seats available, and that’s why I’m running.”

“We all think it is the perfect little town,” candidate Elaine Middlestetter said. “We love Bellbrook the way it is. Don’t mess it up.”

The seats up for grabs are: Councilman Ralph Fussner, who is not running again; Councilman Bob Baird, who is running unopposed as mayor; and Councilman Joseph Ritzel, up for re-election.

Ritzel, 45, has served eight years on council. He is a supervisory auditor with the U.S. Air Force Audit Agency at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

He said his accounting and finance background should be an asset in “optimizing our budgets,” though the city has “a strong city manager who is real good with finance. Right now we have a reserve that will carry us through the next few years of austerity,” he said.

Bellbrook has a “pretty low-cost government,” so there’s no need to pursue a city income tax, he said.

Middlestetter, 67, is a member of the city’s planning board and runs an advertising marketing company, Concept Co., with her husband, Robert, a former city councilman.

She said she does not favor a city income tax to help balance the budget “because we do not have a lot of commercial business in the city. It wouldn’t be a huge advantage.

“I know we are going to be facing a serious fiscal challenge. I am open to looking at ways of doing things differently.”

If the city’s two police levies do not pass, she said the council “may have difficult decisions to make.”

Dona R. Seger-Lawson, 41, is chairwoman of the city’s planning board and director of regulatory operations for DP&L.

“Bellbrook has a sense of community,” she said. “I would make it more of a walkable city by adding more sidewalks so people can be more active in the community.”

She said the city’s finances are the biggest issue facing Bellbrook. “I don’t want to pass an income tax,” she said. “I’d find other ways to make sure the city balances the budget.”

Jeffries, 65, is a retired businessman who drove heavy equipment for Price Brothers Co. for 17 years before opening his own home improvement business, H. L. Jeffries’ Paint and Repairs. He grew up in east Dayton and has lived in Bellbrook three years.

“I see a town where people want to come into town, park the car and walk around,” Jeffries said.

He would like to see beautification projects done with the help of volunteers and grant money. The new Bellbrook Optimist Club has been talking about having a street fair where people would come and visit the city’s unique shops.

“It would help business in Bellbrook,” he said.

A city income tax would not help, as “there are not that many jobs to make it worthwhile,” and “it would put a strain on residents,” he said.

Forrest Greenwood, 55, is an electrician in the civil engineering division at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and has lived in the city 30 years.

“It’s getting ready to come up on some hard financial times,” he said. “I think I can help.”

He believes Bellbrook should look into sharing services with other municipalities. “If they do have to make cuts, I think the ballot is where that should be done,” he said.

“I would not be opposed to an income tax, though I think it should definitely be on the ballot box,” and only as a last resort.

He would address issues such as water run-off in the Old Village District and creating a contingency plan for the city in case of emergency flooding.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2341 or kullmer@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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