Election 2017: Jeffrey Gore to become next Huber Heights mayor

Gore beat David Wilson by 56 percent to 43 percent.

NEW: ‘Soul searching’ in Huber Heights after big wins by Gore, Campbell and Byrge

Nancy Byrge will become the next city councilperson at-large. She beat Chase Warden in Montgomery County 57 percent to 42 percent.

Andrew Hill appears to have narrowly beat Carl Urbanas in a razor’s edge race of 50 percent to 49 percent. The men are separated by 13 votes.

Mark Campbell beat Linda Morin, 56 percent to 43 percent.

Seth Morgan won an noncompetitive race for Ward 3.

One-hundred percent of precincts are reporting, but results remain unofficial.

UPDATE @ 9:45 p.m.

Jeffrey Gore continues to lead David Wilson among Montgomery County voters in the race for Huber Heights mayor, according to unofficial results.

With less than 5 percent of precincts reporting, Gore has 494 votes to Wilson’s 372 votes, according to the Montgomery County Board of Elections.

In the at-large race, Nancy Byrge still leads Chase Warden with 508 votes to 311 votes.

No precincts are reporting in the Ward 4 race, though Carl Urbanas slightly leads Andrew Hill with 45 votes to 26.

Mark Campbell leads Linda Morin in the Ward 5 race, with one-third of precincts reporting. Campbell has 217 votes to Morin’s 152 votes.

UPDATE @ 7:48 p.m.

Jeffrey Gore leads David Wilson among Montgomery County absentee voters in the race for Huber Heights mayor, according to early unofficial election results.

Gore leads Wilson with 358 votes to 235.

In the at-large council race, Nancy Byrge leads Chase Warden with 371 votes to 189.

ORIGINAL STORY

Two candidates are facing-off Tuesday in a race to become Huber Heights’ new mayor.

Mayor Tom McMasters decided not to seek re-election.

Jeffrey Gore and David Wilson are seeking election to a four-year term in the city’s highest office.

LIVE NOW: Dayton Daily News Voter Guide

Gore is a teacher and former small business owner with a background in real estate, finance and marketing. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from Colorado Technical University and is working toward his master’s of education from Antioch University Midwest.

Wilson is a member of the city’s planning commission and served two years on Huber Heights city council in 2010-2011. He has served on the board of zoning appeals, graduated from the Huber Heights Citizens Police Academy, and has 33 years experience in production and inventory control. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bowling Green State University.

MORE: Huber Heights mayor, citing ‘difficulties,’ won’t seek re-election

As a public service to readers, the Dayton Daily News asked the candidates to respond to a series of questions about the race. Below are edited excerpts of their answers presented in alphabetical order. Additional questions and responses about the city manager's residency, medical marijuana, and economic development are available online at vote.daytondailynews.com.

Q: What do you think the 3 biggest challenges are that are facing Huber Heights?

Jeffrey Gore: First, it's imperative that we take advantage of the positive economic development growth that has been spearheaded by current city leaders like City Councilman Mark Campbell and City Manager Rob Schommer. Huber Heights is growing, and we need to take that momentum and bring it to other parts of town – specifically the southern part of town where improvements are drastically needed and vacant buildings need to be filled. Second, we need to return to a professional relationship between the mayor's office and city council. The level of division and infighting has cast a shadow on our city and limited our effectiveness. Third, we need to support public safety, especially as it relates to combating the opioid epidemic. Strong public safety creates a safer community, which ripples throughout the city and enhances the quality of life for all residences.

Voters guide: Your best local resource for Election 2017

Find information on races and candidates you care about, by using your location or browsing information on dozens of races and hundreds of candidates.

Go to the Voters Guide »

David Wilson: I believe in order to create a positive image for our city we need a full-time economic development director to work with our Chamber of Commerce, The Brandt Pike Revitalization Committee and Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission to address the lack of growth in our business community. Secondly, we need to strengthen our zoning codes and zoning enforcement in order to improve the deteriorating conditions we see in some of our neighborhoods and businesses. These two changes, combined with revitalizing our parks, are the first steps to my goal of making everyone proud to call Huber Heights their home town.

MORE: Huber Heights voters trim candidates for mayor, council seat

Q: In past months, council members have engaged in disagreements, insults and accusations between members. Council members often refer to themselves as “old council” or “new council” to describe their perspectives. How would you seek to reconcile these differences?

Jeffrey Gore: One of the reasons I chose to run for mayor was to return professionalism to the position, while also focusing on people over politics. Unfortunately, the "old council" against "new council" feud is the exact opposite. These differences could easily be reconciled by agreeing to work on behalf of the residents instead of trying to push personal agendas, focusing on the facts and showing respect for fellow members of our city government. As mayor I would start with leading by example, and holding council members accountable to the same standard.

David Wilson: I do not see Democrats or Republicans, "Old School" or "New School" in our city council. I see a very diverse group of people who have a love for our city and want only the best for our citizens. Many times an individual council member's "wants" for our city do not match the other council members and their differences need to be presented. As mayor, I will not hesitate to call a council member out of order if they resort to using insults or any inappropriate behavior to try to overpower any discussion in an attempt to win an argument. I believe the mayor and council need to work towards compromises and not a winner take all mentality.