Voter Guide: Huber Heights Mayor

Credit: HANDOUT

Credit: HANDOUT

The Dayton Daily News, Springfield News-Sun and Journal-News invited local candidates to fill out the following questionnaire to inform readers.

VOTE FOR 1:

Jeffrey Gore

Education: Master’s of education, Antioch University Midwest

Current Employment: Huber Heights City Schools

Community Involvement: Current mayor, current board member for the Montgomery County Convention Facilities Authority

Why are you seeking elected office? Huber Heights has seen tremendous successes in all areas of the city. We’ve had unprecedented residential and commercial growth during my administration, and I’d like to be able to continue the progress over the next four years that we’ve experienced the last four years. I love our city and its people, and being the mayor of the city I grew up in has been one of the biggest honors and most humbling experiences of my life.

Why should voters elect you? Four years ago there was a narrative of our city that we we didn’t have any money. Four years ago it was said the city was wasting taxpayer dollars. There was so much negativity surrounding our city and my main focus was to start changing that narrative. We’ve been very successful in turning it around. Huber Heights is currently in the best financial position it has been in since its founding. People and businesses are running to Huber Heights, not running away from it. We’ve grown our general fund from $9M to $17M in the last four years while increasing our cash position from $45M-$67M. We’re growing our economy in every sector and it’s paying dividends. Under my administration we’ve successfully run the city government like a business with a balance sheet, rather than tax initiatives -- and it shows. I’d love for voters to give me the opportunity to continue smart financial management of their hard earned tax dollars and continue being a city they can be proud to call home. Four years ago I asked voters to elect me based on my vision for the city, and today I ask them to reelect me based on my results.

If elected, what will be your top three priorities? Infrastructure improvements (water and streets); solutions for traffic (designs are in the works); public safety.

What specific plans do you have to address those top priorities? I will be asking our council to approve more appropriated dollars for water main and street repair. I will continue to keep pressing our city staff for detailed design work on our traffic issues around the Route 202 and I-70 areas, along with solutions for Merily Way. I have always supported our police and fire departments with the funding they need to be able to provide the best services possible to our residents. I support a new traffic control unit within our police division to help stop people breaking our traffic laws, and I believe the citizens are demanding it.

Anything else? It’s been a true honor serving you as only the seventh mayor of Huber Heights. I’m from here, I grew up here and I graduated school here. I’m one of you -- I shop in the same stores as you, and I eat in the same restaurants as you, and I drive the same streets as you. I want nothing more than for Huber Heights to be the best Huber Heights it can be. I want us to fulfill the potential I know we have and with your help on Nov. 2, we can do it together.

Glenn T. Otto

City: Huber Heights

Education: Graduate of Beavercreek High School; some college - engineering program at Wright State University, visual communications program at Sinclair Community College, professional licensing through the Ohio Department of Insurance

Current Employment: Self-employed insurance agent at Otto & Associates Insurance Agency, Huber Heights

Community Involvement: Huber Heights City Council at-large member, January 2016-current; vice chair of the Huber Heights Ordinance Review Commission, 2010 and 2020 (current); chair of the Huber Heights Brandt Pike Revitalization Steering Committee, 2017; member of the Huber Heights Board of Zoning Appeals, April 2012-December 2015; member of the National League of Cities, Transportation and Infrastructure Services Committee, served as vice chair in 2019; over a decade of past volunteer service as a coach and board member of Huber Heights Wayne Pee Wee Football, Huber Heights Little League and Wayne Warrior Wrestling; core volunteer with Every Warrior Plays; member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Huber Heights Post 3283; member of the Huber Heights Masonic Lodge No 777, F&AM; member of the Huber Heights Chamber of Commerce

Why are you seeking elected office? I am concerned that we have reached a point in Huber Heights where our attention needs to be turned inward to focus on the revitalization of current community versus the continued call for outward growth. We need to strengthen our public works and parks and recreation departments to enable them to maintain and improve services to our community and further explore our residents’ desires. Additionally, I do not believe that our residents are truly being listened to in regards to their desired direction of our community. We have a duty to provide accurate and timely information to our residents concerning activity within our community, and I believe that we can do much better.

Why should voters elect you? I will ensure that anyone who feels inclined to speak about issues that affect our community will be given that opportunity. My direction will not be to control or influence the direction of Huber Heights, but to allow as many residents as possible to provide input concerning our direction. I believe that truly open communication in our city is lacking, and I will ensure that anyone with an interest in gaining knowledge of our leadership’s plans and discussions will have that ability. We must stop speaking to our residents and start speaking with them.

If elected, what will be your top three priorities? My top three priorities will be communication, revitalization and the improvement of public spaces for use by all of our community. Open and proper communication is necessary to keep our residents informed on subjects concerning the community that they live in and gather input from those same residents about the desired direction of our city. Revitalization needs to come before we look to expand our footprint. I believe that we have to ensure that we take care of those areas of our city that have aged and decayed prior to focusing on growth and adding new areas. Finally, I believe that it is the duty of representatives to provide those things that individuals cannot provide for themselves such as quality parks, senior and community services and programing.

What specific plans do you have to address those top priorities? I would like to see a process change in the way that we inform, encourage and listen to our residents when it comes to public meetings. Currently, there is no real opportunity for residents of our community to address grievances or concerns publicly as the current process does not allow or encourage public questions to our city representatives. Additionally, I do not believe that we are using our communication resources to their full abilities and I will look to staff to open up those lines to their full ability. I also intend to guide council discussions on how we can improve our current community versus expansion and I will do that by allowing all interested parties the opportunity to bring new ideas for additional discussion regardless of where those ideas come from.

Anything else? I have served the community of Huber Heights as a volunteer and public servant for many years through work with nonprofit organizations, our business community, the city and the people of Huber Heights. I have been openly and publicly involved throughout our community and been receptive to input from all sources. If elected as the next mayor of Huber Heights, I will continue to dedicate my time and resources to making the city of Huber Heights the best (not biggest) place that it can be.