He’s had a career in graphic design and also is an artist. He works in quality/continuous improvement at Westlake Royal Building Products in Franklin.
In January, Rogers was elected by fellow council members as the city’s mayor. The election, by a 4-3 vote, came as Rogers started a second four-year term on council. He served one term before being shut out from running in 2021 because of a technical issue with his candidate petitions.
He was thrilled to be able to return to council. The city is a charter government with the mayor being a largely ceremonial role. This means Rogers’ activities can include participating in ribbon cuttings and other community activities — as well as attending gatherings such as the Greater Dayton Mayors and Managers Group.
“I like being part of city government. I like knowing what is going on,” he said.
“At my job, they think it’s a real hoot that I am mayor,” he added.
Among the most important decisions facing council now is selection of the next city manager with the pending retirement of Manager Tim Eggleston in June.
The involvement of his parents in the community — his father Logan at the community newspaper and church and his mother Jean who was active in community organizations — helped him learn about the at times behind the scenes goings on in Tipp City, Rogers said. For example he said, his awareness of people who wanted the city to stay the way it was stemmed in part from the newspaper’s letters to the editor. The community today, like most others, has both those advocating for growth while others would prefer the smaller-town atmosphere not change.
Art has always played a role in his life. “I was always the kid who was drawing whenever the teacher wasn’t looking. I went to college for it. My family was skeptical as to what I was going to do,” he said, noting family members were more business-oriented.
His personal art waned for a time but then returned about 15 years ago when Rogers participated in a plein air painting event in downtown Tipp City, one of his favorite places. He selected to do his painting from a corner downtown and painted the Chaffee Building. That led him to numerous other painting projects.
Rogers said he is happy his children — twins John and Elizabeth now age 21 — were able to grow up in Tipp City. Today, John is in the Navy while Elizabeth is a student at Sinclair Community College and works at a couple of downtown businesses.
Downtown Tipp City is one of their dad’s favorite places. He’s served on the Downtown Tipp City Partnership, including serving at one time as its president.
The city overall is special, Rogers said.
“It seems like people who live here think it is special. People who come here think it is special. Growth and change are inevitable, but we need to stay special,” he said.
Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com
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