We asked both candidates about their plans if elected. Here’s a look at the candidates and their answers:
Patricia Cavanaugh
Experience: Served for 10+ years as Kettering Neighborhood Watch Coordinator working closely with the Kettering Police. I have a very strong financial background and as a CPA from 1984 until 2017 when I retired.
I was a small business owner for 2 different successful companies. Served as a Financial Consultant and IT developer with WPAFB and was a Business Intelligence developer for Speedway/SuperAmerica stores. I was a past board member for We Care Arts.
Education: BA from Capital University MBA from the University of Dayton.
Bruce Duke
Experience: City Councilman and Former Vice Mayor, retired-University of Dayton, Assistant Director of Counseling Center, administrator for Kettering Leadership Academy, former Small Business Owner, former teacher/school counselor.
Education: Ph.D. -The Ohio State University/Counseling
Q: What are the two biggest challenges facing Kettering?
Patricia Cavanaugh: Kettering needs to make wise use of available land. There are some vacant buildings and open land in the city but their use should support community needs. The Kettering City Council needs to partner with businesses to actively renovate, replace or rebuild declining properties.
Some positive changes are the new Fairmont auditorium and our new fire stations. Many other properties need attention.
The aging of our homes and their upkeep is a big challenge, especially for home owners who are aging and may not have the resources to maintain their homes.
Absentee landlords who do not maintain their rental properties and nuisance properties that consume large amounts of city resources (police, fire and ambulance), need to be held accountable.
Bruce Duke: As a mature community, the two biggest challenges Kettering faces are aging street infrastructure and maintaining residential property values.
(1). Some of Kettering’s street/sidewalk infrastructure is 60+ years old and in need of repair. City Council constantly upgrades neighborhood streets yet more could be done. City Council has decided to use the annual $1 million we will get from the recent gas tax increase, strictly for neighborhood road improvement.
(2). For many Kettering residents their home is their biggest investment and their biggest asset. Protecting that asset is helped by the city enforcing strict property maintenance codes. Additionally, Kettering is developing a nuisance property maintenance ordinance to be used in specific cases. A badly maintained the property on a street can hurt the entire neighborhood and this ordinance will help address that problem.
Q: How will they continue to nurture the growth at the Kettering Business Park? With Amazon up and operating what else can be done to make the park grow?
Patricia Cavanaugh: A large business such as Amazon creates jobs in a community but an increased emphasis on small businesses will have positive effect on jobs. Land is still available in the Kettering Business Park. A possibility is to construct a grouping of small shops with reduced rent for the first year or so.
Bruce Duke: The Kettering Business Park is a tremendous economic asset for our community. The city recently upgraded the entryway to the Business Park, signage within the park, and the landscaping and lighting. These improvements make the park attractive to new companies such as Amazon. Kettering's economic development staff is currently marketing additional space within the Business Park for future business development. City Council has always been creative in approaching development issues and I will continue to support that approach.
Q: The Fraze Pavilion has been very successful in the city - with recent cuts to its budget how can the city help it survive?
Patricia Cavanaugh: Increase competition with the Rose Music Center in Huber Heights has a negative impact on the Fraze Pavilion. The Rose has a roof and does not have to cancel concerts if it storms. The Fraze may need a similar construction in order to continue attracting entertainers that sell out their shows.
Bruce Duke: The city of Kettering just completed a banner year at the Fraze Pavilion. More than 80,000 people attended paid performances and nearly 75,000 attended free festivals during this summer, with nearly $4 million in ticket sales. Through our Capital Improvement Program we have made further improvements to the Fraze stage area and the fountains area. We look forward to continued growth next year. No budget cuts have been made for the Fraze.
VOTERS GUIDE
Learn more about these candidates and other races and issues on the November ballot in our interactive voters guide at vote.daytondailynews.com
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