Issues

Housing in Oberlin is becoming increasingly unaffordable for working families. We need more housing of all kinds, especially affordable housing, and we need to be more flexible in terms of our residential zoning. Given our aging housing stock, we also need to increase the extent to which we support home repair for moderate to lower income households. I have been – and will continue to be – an advocate for increasing and improving our city’s housing stock in ways that are smart and sustainable. 

We need to grow our economy by attracting new businesses and clean industry.  We need new jobs for Oberlin residents.  I have supported the purchase of land for a new industrial park and the hiring of a consulting firm to assist us with economic development.  I also support efforts to strengthen our downtown, which is coming back from the effects of the pandemic. As a city, we need much more focus on how we retain existing businesses and industry and how we bring new ones to Oberlin.  In the future I will advocate for an economic development specialist to be added to our city’s staff. 

The city manager and council in 2020 initiated a social equity working group, which produced an extensive social equity provisional plan in December 2021. The working group was reconstituted for the 2022-23 council term and charged with working on highest priorities especially in the areas of affordable housing and equitable economic development.  A grant from the Nord Family Foundation enabled Cleveland’s Center for Community Solutions to conduct an extensive community social equity survey and several community focus groups. In July 2023, the center finalized an extensive social equity assessment, which documents significant disparities for federally protected groups in our community.  During the coming council term, we need to finalize the social equity plan and continue to move forward to address our highest social equity priorities.  Major accomplishments so far include the hiring of a new social equity coordinator, a workforce development partnership with Lorain County Community College, and the planned development of several affordable homes on infill lots in town.  I have devoted substantial time, effort, and leadership to Oberlin’s social equity initiative.  If reelected, continued progress to address Oberlin’s social equity needs will be among my highest priorities. 

Oberlin has been a leader in environmental sustainability and especially in working at the local level to address the issue of climate change.  Our first climate action plan was approved in 2011 and it has been updated twice since then, most recently in 2019.  The city has supported efforts to carry out the plan from funds generated through the sale of renewable energy certificates.  We now have a sustainability coordinator and there have been numerous actions taken to reduce our community’s greenhouse gas emission.  We need to continue and build on these efforts.  We also update our climate action plan, taking into account the importance of adapting to the global warming that is already occurring.  We’re already beginning these efforts through the creation of cooling sites where residents who don’t have air conditioning can go on days that are excessively hot.

The recent comprehensive plan survey indicates that our community views college community relations as a significant challenge.  I have worked with some success on this issue.  I first discussed it with Oberlin College chief of staff David Hertz.  At his request, I suggested a small group that could begin communicating with him about community concerns related to the college. Discussions with this small group eventually led the College to create Oberlin Community Connection, a broadly diverse group of community members who now meet with college officials on a regular basis.  Its purpose is to build trust between the college and the community. The group is still very early in its work, but I am hopeful that it will lead to projects and activities that will build increased town-gown trust.

Oberlinians appreciate the unique culture of our town.  That includes the accessibility and walkability of our streets and especially our small-town atmosphere.  While we clearly need to grow in terms of housing and our economy, it remains important that we maintain essential aspects of Oberlin’s character, including its rich cultural life. The city has recently taken on responsibility for more downtown events, like Art in the Park, last year’s holiday celebration on Tappan Square, and resumed summer concerts.  Recent surveys indicate that our community wants the city to continue and expand cultural events and to cooperate more with Oberlin College to promote the arts, making events more accessible to the community and to visitors.

I have supported efforts to provide public transportation through the Oberlin Connector service, to ensure the EV car share program is affordable to all residents, and to install a multiuse path from Hamilton Street to Route 20.  That path is scheduled for construction in 2024 and should markedly improve safety for bikers and walkers going to and from the ALDI / Walmart area. A multiuse path on North Park Street from Lorain Street to the elementary school and sidewalk access to the new Oberlin Community Services building are high priorities for me.  

Parking issues include both downtown parking and parking by Oberlin College students.  For downtown we’ve made some progress by empowering the city manager to establish various parking limits (thirty minutes, three hours, etc.) as needed by local businesses.  There are also efforts under way to increase enforcement.  The city has addressed the problem of college student parking in residential streets by prohibiting overnight parking on selected streets close to campus.  That change has significantly reduced ongoing student parking in those areas.  The next thing we need is for the city and the college to get good data on parking availability for both on-street and off-street parking.  That can help us determine if we need more parking or just need better parking management.  The city and the college are looking at possibly subscribing to a technology service that would provide read-time data on parking availability.  I am concerned that the additional parking lots the college is being required to build because of the new dorm may not all be needed.  The college may have sufficient parking spaces that are not being fully utilized.

I have supported several recent improvements in our parks and recreation, including the new Morgan Street reservoir and wetland and the purchase of the former Prospect School, which is now the Oberlin Enrichment and Activities Center. The new center provides various activities, including programming for seniors and the Oberlin Kids pre-kindergarten program. Future projects that I will support include a new Splash Pad at the Park Street Park and enhancement of Prospect Park adjacent to the OEAC.  Oberlin has thriving recreation programs that deserve continued support. 

Oberlin’s change to a participant choice recycling program has markedly reduced contamination in our recycling stream.  It is unfortunate that market problems now make it impossible to recycle many plastics, aside from bottles and jugs numbered 1 and 2.  The city has also stopped recycling glass, since Republic Services simply puts it into the landfill.  I have advocated for purchasing a glass crusher, which reduces glass to a sand like substance that can be used in road resurfacing projects.  I hope such a program will be initiated soon.  I hope the city will also maintain and increase efforts to encourage residents to participate in the choice recycling program.

In recent years Oberlin has had a substantial general fund balance.  At the beginning of 2022 fiscal year that balance was roughly $10.4 million. The city has incurred substantial expenses that have reduced the fund balance in both the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years.  For example, we recently spent $2.4 million to acquire land for a new industrial park.  While our fund balance at the beginning of the 2024 fiscal year will still be healthy, it will be important for City Council to begin considering ways to reduce expenses so that they do not exceed revenues.  That can be done by such means as carefully reviewing position vacancies due to retirements and staff who leave city employment.  Our budget situation is still quite good, but it does need careful attention from Council. 

It’s important to consider the needs of the Oberlin Schools in city planning and decision making.  Our schools will be strengthened if Oberlin grows its population, and if also if we develop our economy in smart, sustainable ways.  Doing that will increase school enrollments and also increase school revenues through property and income taxes. I am now a member of the schools’ finance committee, so I am gaining a good sense of the challenges the schools face. Increasing both enrollment and revenues are clearly needed.

The city has significantly improved its communication with the community.  There is now a regular News and Events newsletter that’s mailed to residents and the city’s social media presence has been increased.  A revamped city website is planned. Our community wants increased communication and collaboration between all major entities in Oberlin, including local businesses, the schools, the college, and nonprofit organizations. With the loss of the Oberlin News Tribune, our community sorely needs a single source for community news, events, and resources.

We can improve how City Council functions, including our relationships with our council appointees, our boards and commissions, our city staff, and with one another.  We need to resolve potential conflicts quickly and focus on solving problems. I will work to foster more open communication, more engagement by all council members, more teamwork and cooperation, and more clarity about individual's roles.  

I believe the city charter and the rules of council make clear that the role of the council president is to facilitate the will of council.  The council president does have the authority to establish the agenda for council meetings  but is otherwise equal to every other council member.  Many council presidents have acted in ways that I believe exceed the legal authority of the president. In my view it’s essential that the council, the appointees, and the community be clear about the role of the council president. The president should never make decisions that are council decisions.

I enjoy responding to citizen concerns. I want citizens to feel heard when they contact me, and I want them to feel satisfied with the city’s responses.  In my two terms on council, I have responded to a wide variety of citizen concerns.  They include such things as safety related to debris where a laundromat was being torn down,  data on incidents of Covid during the pandemic,  student parking in residential streets, safety at a specific intersection where visibility was limited, concerns related to the  EDL renewable natural gas plant, city billing for trash at a downtown building, city requirements for infrastructure in a potential new subdivision, water quality, and many others.  Citizen concerns are sometimes simple, and they are sometimes complex, requiring ongoing follow through to make sure they are adequately addressed.