Glenn Duerr and Tiffany Schwartz are incumbents running for reelection. The third seat is held by Councilwoman Joanna Garcia, who is term-limited.
Ed Maloof
Ed Maloof, a retired IT professional and local pastor, says the top issue he would address if elected is reining in rampant property taxes and unnecessary spending.
“Why am I running? For survival,” he said. “I don’t want to leave Beavercreek. I just retired…I don’t want to have to go, and the property taxes are going crazy.”
Maloof has been active in efforts to place a ballot issue before voters that would abolish property taxes in Ohio, and says he “couldn’t believe the enthusiasm” of those across party lines who came to sign the petition.
“They’re angry. They are upset,” he said. “They (elected officials) are not giving the people a break. They’re really not, and people are beginning to say ‘enough is enough.’”
Maloof also opposes implementing a city income tax.
“We’ve been voting this down since 1980,” he said. “They’re not listening to the people.”
Maloof also wants to curb what he says is “questionable” city spending, citing recent cutback in hours for the Beavercreek Senior Center in relation to the city’s golf course. Beavercreek recently paid off the mortgage for the golf course, which has long been a source of controversy.
“(The golf course) is still not making money,” he said. “They’re still funding that, but yet they could not take the time to find funds for the senior citizens.”
Maloof also said he wishes to curb development and expansion making the city similar to Dayton or Columbus, something “people don’t want.”
“We need a change. We need somebody who’s going to listen to the people. The same old things are not working,” he said.
Glenn Duerr
Incumbent Glenn Duerr is the Chair of the Department of History and Government at Cedarville University, and said he is running for his second term because his background and experience are well-suited for making a difference.
“It’s a city that requires good leadership,” he said. “Opportunity doesn’t just magically appear, it requires someone that is skilled and knowledgeable, (and) has a background and experience.”
Duerr’s top issues are development, taxes and city funding, and protecting Beavercreek’s home rule.
There are 191 cities with a population above 10,000 in the state of Ohio, Duerr said, and Beavercreek is the only one of these that relies entirely on property tax.
“The people have generally supported that model of property tax, but it’s become burdensome,” Duerr said. “If property tax were to be abolished overall...philosophically, I could get behind it if there’s more detail on the other side of: ‘What does it look like? How are you going to fund it?’”
Having lived all over the world, Duerr said he has experience with a myriad of different tax models. However, the movement to abolish property tax currently has too many unknowns.
Regarding development, Duerr said council must continue to promote “sensible” development and redevelopment (such as the Bubba 33’s at the former TGI Fridays), and rejecting it where it doesn’t make sense (like the RaceTrac gas station struck down last year). Duerr served on the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals from 2018 to 2020.
“Beavercreek remains hugely attractive to a lot of companies,” he said. “But at the same time, it cannot be done...without boundaries or without a strong zoning code.”
Lastly, Duerr said he believes the state has overstepped on the principles of home rule in a few instances in recent years, in one instance regarding tax abatements for a new hotel near the Fairfield Commons Mall, and another regarding Beavercreek’s only marijuana dispensary.
“It is problematic when we’re trying to run a city, we make decisions, and then they’re overturned at a higher level and we really don’t have a say in it or really even see it,” he said.
Sarah Bills
Sarah Bills, a mother of five, is running for Beavercreek City Council after being involved in various civic groups in the city for the last few years.
“I’m a volunteer with the (Beaver Creek Wetlands Association). I work elections. I’ve done Girl Scouts...I’m just a little bit everywhere,” she said. “I’m doing the same things that I think most people in the community are doing, you know, and having someone like that to represent them on city council, I think is helpful.”
Solving the property tax issue must involve diversifying the city’s income, Bills said, adding she would be supportive of a “modest” income tax for this reason.
“Our city does a great job already seeking out grants,” she said. “But...in the audit the city goes through, they were saying that’s one big weakness that they get pegged for every year, is how dependent they are on grants.”
Any proposal for an income tax, Bills added, would need to be tied to a “significant reduction” in property tax.
“We can’t just add an income tax and keep property tax where it is. People are struggling, and we can’t ask them to bear more burdens,” she said.
If elected, Bills said she would also focus on fostering affordable housing options in Beavercreek, as well as seek to reverse the reduction in hours at the senior center.
Both seniors looking to downsize and young families looking for their first house are facing struggles trying to find affordable homes in Beavercreek, she said, a struggle her own family is familiar with.
“Seniors are important to me,” Bills said. “We have a lot of seniors that are aging in houses that are multi-floor, that are much too large, that are not affordable, maintainable, as they’re aging...we also want families to be able to begin in Beavercreek. We don’t want them to have to wait until they’re 45 and established in a career before they can live here.”
Zach Upton
Zach Upton previously served on Beavercreek City Council from 2012 to 2019. He also chaired the charter review commission in 2024 and has served on the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals.
“I‘d be humbled if (voters) allowed me the opportunity to return to council again‚" he said. “They were an advocate for the entire community, and I think that’s something I can bring.”
Property taxes and city funding are one of his top issues, Upton said, as well as redevelopment and balanced growth.
With the property tax ballot initiative on the horizon, the city has to diversify its income, Upton said.
“We’re up against a wall with property taxes. It is getting harder and harder to ask residents to pay more and more as costs go up but people’s income doesn’t,” he said.
Upton added he would be in favor of an income tax, only if it was accompanied by an “immediate” rollback of property taxes and “a very specific plan” on how income tax dollars will be used.
“The city does need to look at options outside of property taxes to balance out the revenue streams. We cannot continue to rely and tax people out of their homes based solely on property taxes,” Upton said. “And let’s be honest, there’s a pool of people that are in Beavercreek that utilize our services — our roads, our police services — that don’t contribute to it.”
Beavercreek also needs to begin the process of planning for redevelopment with its zoning code and long-term planning, Upton said.
“There’s some small pockets where a small development may come in yet, but long term, we have got to think about redeveloping certain areas, and that’s where you’ve got to strike that balance between residential, commercial, industrial, even agricultural, on what makes sense in what parts of the city,” he said.
Tiffany Schwartz
Incumbent Tiffany Schwartz did not respond to requests for an interview or to the Dayton Daily News voters guide. She is running for her second term on city council.
She was appointed to Beavercreek City Council in February 2020, and prior to that served on the city’s planning commission and Youth Development Committee.
Schwartz serves as an attorney for the Air Force Research Laboratory, advising the Small Business Innovation Research Center of Excellence, per her city biography. She was also a supervisory attorney and Acquisition Fraud Counsel in the Procurement Fraud Division of the Air Force Materiel Command Law Office.
Schwartz earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Ohio Northern University, and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Dayton School of Law.
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