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Glenn Otto, Richard Shaw and Janell Smith all shared the same message less than 24 hours after defeating three incumbent Huber City council members.
Make the residents’ voices be heard again, they said, while downplaying signs of a shift in the balance of power on the council.
Otto (at-large), Shaw (Ward 1) and Smith (Ward 2) were victorious against Jan Vargo, Lu Dale and Karen Kaleps, respectively. The fourth member of Team Huber, Rick Stan, lost to incumbent Ed Lyons in Ward 6.
It will be the first time Otto, Shaw and Smith will hold a public office.
“I don’t think the balance of power has shifted, but it’s back to the residents and back to the community,” Shaw, 30, said. “I am excited and encouraged to work with those existing members of council. With creative discussions and open minds, I really think Huber Heights can do great things in the future.”
Tuesday’s winners are expected to be informally sworn in near the end of the year so their terms become effective Jan. 1, then publicly sworn in at the Jan. 11 council meeting, said Anthony Rodgers, the city’s clerk of council. The terms for Dale, Kaleps and Vargo expire at the end of the year.
Long-time Councilman Mark Campbell said Tuesday’s results do not “change the job that’s in front of the city.”
“Are we going to address issues and concerns differently? Yes,” Campbell said. “That’s what a new change in leadership brings. … We’re going to hopefully have new ideas, fresh ideas, that can be brought to the table. We’re not without issues to deal with. At the same time, we all have to recognize what has went well and the successes that the city has experienced over the last number of years.”
City Council and Mayor Tom McMasters have repeatedly been at odds since McMasters took office in January 2014, and the last several months leading up to Tuesday’s election were contentious.
Additionally, Councilman Tyler Starline has voiced opposition in public meetings and voted at times against legislation.
“At this stage, council is divided,” Otto, 47, said. “With me, Janell and Richard, it’s going to make it pretty even, with the mayor having to reach out and provide his own personal input. As long as (the current council members’) minds are open, our minds are open as well. The ball’s in their court.”
Otto, Shaw and Smith — who all regularly attend public meetings — have been outspoken against council from the podium.
With a total of eight members on City Council, McMasters holds the tie-breaking vote in a 4-4 scenario. He also can veto legislation that has less than six affirmative votes, Rodgers said.
McMasters said Wednesday he was pulling for Stan the strongest because of his professional financial background, but it “takes nothing away from the fact that we have three good people in there.”
“We needed different dynamics on council, and we certainly have it now,” McMasters said.
Items of interest for the newly-elected members include redeveloping the central and southern portions of the city; working more closely with businesses; and scheduling ward meetings to get feedback from citizens.
“If we empower the residents and give them a sense of ownership, it fosters a better communication,” Smith, 48, said. “We’ve got to remember we work for the people, and I think that’s been forgotten.”
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