“It’s better to leave on a planned basis rather than be knocked out,” said the popular, but sometimes controversial politician. “Twenty-eight years goes quick.”
Kilburn, who learned his conservative philosophy from his father, has seen a lot of changes in Warren County, from its explosive growth to a changing political landscape.
When Kilburn ran in the 1982 primary for the commission seat, a race he won by 19 votes after a counting error was found, Warren County had a population of a little more than 100,000.
Today, the county has more than 200,000 residents and has been the second fastest growing in Ohio for the past decade.
In the early 1990s, the housing boom came as cornfields became subdivisions. Kilburn drew the ire of the home builders because of his position on planning and zoning issues. He said commissioners spent a lot of time working to determine how they wanted Warren County to appear in the future.
“County commissioners have more to do with urban sprawl than any other elected official,” Kilburn said.
“They decide where water and sewer lines go and the density of homes.”
He said the mushrooming residential growth created other problems.
“We killed the schools in Little Miami because of growth,” Kilburn said. “New people who wanted and passed school levies are not voting for them now.”
“I’m most proud that I resisted uncontrolled, unbelievable and unbridled residential growth,” he said.
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