During the James A. McKee Candidates Night Oct. 15, both said they plan to follow Conine’s progressive lead, but by taking slightly different approaches.
Heise said he favors focusing outside Yellow Springs’ borders to promote the village as a destination point, while McQueen sees a tighter-knit community focused on events and services.
In the race for Village Council, Angie Hsu (203), Senay Semere (172) and Dean Pallotta (107) lead for the three open seats according to partial, unofficial results from early voting from the Greene County Board of Elections.
Three of the five members of the Village Council are elected every two years in the November general election. The two candidates receiving the most votes are elected to four-year terms. The candidate with the third highest total receives a two-year term.
Brian Housh, with 90 votes, is the lone incumbent on the ballot for Village Council, having served 12 years as a Yellow Springs elected official in addition to a number of local and regional boards, including the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission and Yellow Springs Development Corporation.
Housh said his main priorities are improving infrastructure, fostering affordability and facilitating economic vitality.
“Supporting local businesses and attracting good jobs is vital, Housh said. ”I support effort to grow our residential base, many of whom would live within walking distance of downtown and would help support local businesses, providing places for current and future workers to live."
Affordable housing is a top issue for the five other candidates vying for a seat on the council.
Pallotta, longtime owner of Dino’s Cappuccinos, said upgrading utilities and roads and attracting seniors to the decision-making table is key to the village’s future.
Semere characterized the housing situation as a “dilemma” and said the village must continue to embrace its culture.
For former firefighter Stephanie Pearce, with 93 early votes, her platform includes includes seeking out and incentivizing companies that pay livable wages to locate to Yellow Springs, and encouraging council toward more “resident-focused initiatives and decisions.”
Hsu, owner of local restaurant MAZU, said, “Over the years it has become harder and harder for many people to continue to live here.”
Scott Osterholm, with 68 early votes, is a 1988 Yellow Springs High School graduate and said the working-class needs a voice on the council. “On affordable housing I will continue to work with Home Inc. and other private or public (organizations) to get this done.”
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