Michael T. Kuhn
No response
Rob Rettich
No response
James A. Lawson
Education: College graduate
Current Employment: Retired
Community Involvement: Past member of the Germantown Council. 33 year member of the Fraternal Order of Police. 30 year member of John W. Durst #716 Masonic Lodge.
Why are you seeking elected office? I have served the public most of my life through my employment. In retirement, I find myself desiring to continue serving.
Why should voters elect you? I am fiscally conservative and will be a steadfast steward of our tax dollars. As in the past, I will always be upfront and honest about any issue.
If elected, what will be your top three priorities? I want to revisit how we tax our citizens who work outside of Germantown. I want to make sure Camp Miami remains a green space for all citizens. I am interested in bringing our tax department back to Germantown and out of Cleveland.
What specific plans do you have to address those top priorities? I am just one vote, I can do nothing alone. I will work with other members, exploring these issues and the challenges we face in the future.
Anything else? I have mellowed over time, but I will continue being honest and forthcoming, even when it is not popular.
J. Brian Wafzig
Education: Master’s of public administration, University of Dayton; B.A., Miami University
Current Employment: Contracting officer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Community Involvement: Elected Official, city of Germantown Council member (2010 – present); chair, Miami Valley Communications Council (2014–2015); vice chair, Miami Valley Communications Council (2012–2013); delegate, Miami Valley Communications Council (2010–present); delegate, city of Germantown Board of Zoning Appeals (2011–present); delegate, city of Germantown Charter Review Commission (2012, 2016); chair, city of Germantown Saturday Night Out Commission (2010-2014); volunteer emergency medical technician (EMT), Germantown/German Twp. Fire-EMS Department, (2005-2009); volunteer EMT, Oxford Fire Department (2005-2007); state certified EMT, (2005–present)
Why are you seeking elected office? I am a lifelong resident of Germantown and strongly believe that the most effective government is local government. As a council member, I strive to improve the lives of our residents on a daily basis. I have always had a passion for local government and want to use that passion to enact positive change for the Germantown community.
Why should voters elect you? I have served on council since 2010 and have been intimately involved in nearly every significant action taken since I was elected. I don’t simply show up to meetings and cast my vote; I proactively seek out solutions to help improve your local government. I also will take responsibility when issues arise or our residents are seeking action from council.
If elected, what will be your top three priorities? My top three priorities are the continued investment in infrastructure, the hiring and retention of our essential employees, and providing support and services to our local businesses as much as possible.
What specific plans do you have to address those top priorities? Like most communities, we have deferred projects due to funding shortfalls. We continue to patch water lines rather than replace them, we have inflow and infiltration into our sewers that need to be relined, and we are starting to see higher turnover with our essential service employees. For several years we have applied for and received zero interest loans to begin repair and relining of our sewer lines. Thanks to our residents’ support of the income tax levy in 2018, we are now investing nearly four times as much into our streets and infrastructure as we did prior to the levy. We must ensure that funding remains in place and our infrastructure is maintained appropriately. Our Police, Fire/EMS, and Service Department worked heroically over the past year to maintain essential services; however, we need to evaluate their compensation to ensure we are appropriately supporting and retaining our essential workers. The pandemic has also taken a toll on our local businesses. As the country starts to return to normal, the city must be proactive in helping our local businesses, and encouraging our residents to support them as well.
Anything else? Germantown has many amazing small businesses that deserve our support, but during the pandemic they faced unbelievable challenges and are only now beginning to get back on their feet. Both the city of Germantown and our residents must do everything we can to support our small businesses. I also strongly encourage our residents to support the replacement park levy (Issue #12) on the ballot this November. This 0.5 mill levy provides nearly 100% of the funding needed for general maintenance and upkeep of our parks.