Goals and Priorities

Goals and Priorities

If re-elected I will work for Jerome Township to:

• Protect public safety, better roadways
• Less overcrowding of schools
• Preserve our rural character
• Add more trails and parks
• Save our woodlands, wetlands and watersheds
• Increase landscape buffering standards
• Promote controlled, balanced growth
• Safeguard community services funds

I believe that I am the most qualified candidate for Trustee

• Professional background, experience and expertise
• Working to protect the public safety and well-being and to preserve the natural resources and rural character for our community
• Longtime community advocate
• Only candidate who has been a Township Trustee
• Integrity, honesty and fact-based decision making
• Embracing cooperation, collaboration and communication
• Thoughtful listening with respect for others
• Analytical approach with special attention to details
• Creative solutions for resident concerns to help solve problems
• Fiscally responsible with your tax dollars

I have served for 4 years and worked consistently to focus on what’s important to the residents, businesses and community.

Key Strategies

• Support First Responders
• Fix the Zoning Resolution
  • Upgrade standards for data centers, as well as residential and commercial developments for noise, construction and safety protocols.
  • Upgrade landscape buffering, setbacks and rural viewscapes
  • Better conservation of natural features
  • Invest in infrastructure especially to reduce traffic
• Limit new residential planned developments
• Encourage economic development focused on sustainable businesses and incentives that require a fair share back to the township.

Additional details:

Supporting First Responders

• The rapid growth of Jerome Township is outpacing the resources to provide fire protection. Hopefully, the renewal of the two existing fire levies that expire in 2025 with an additional 1 mil will allow for continued improvements that could include:
  • At least 3 new fire fighters
  • Operating equipment
  • Safety repairs to the aging Fire Station 210
  • Future needs may also require replacement of the 30 plus year old Station 210 and the addition of a third fire station (in the southern portion of the township in the Dublin Green/Costco area)

Building Safer Roadways

• Continued funding of the Public Safety Officer (PSO) program in coordination with the Union County Sheriff Office to increase traffic patrols, which is an important part of protecting public safety
• The Rt 33/161/Industrial Parkway interchange is finally completed after several years and has resulted in much improved traffic flow in that area
• The Mitchell DeWitt roundabout completed last year has also resulted in improved traffic flow and is now much safer
• Work is to be completed this fall on the southbound Jerome Township portions of Rt 42 to widen and repave the lanes coming from Delaware. The northbound lanes will be similarly completed in 2026
• An extension of Houchard Road to Warner Road will be ongoing for the next 2 years with a roundabout planned for the intersection with Rt 161. This is a prime example of how a private-public partnership requiring cooperation between several state and local agencies can work together to invest in infrastructure
• While the intersection of Rt 42 and Industrial Parkway continues to cause headaches for the moment, it is scheduled for completion in 2026.
• Traffic continues to be an ongoing public safety concern, and I will continue to work closely with the Union County Engineer, and the County Sheriff, as well as with the City of Marysville to promote using JEDD funds, TIF funds and public private partnerships to upgrade roadways and invest in infrastructure; including adding crosswalks and lowering speed limits where needed.

Less Overcrowding of Schools

• Overcrowding in all 3 school districts is primarily the result of the rapid growth of residential developments over the past 10 years in the township. We may be the fastest growing township in Ohio.

• Limiting the rate of residential growth will continue to be a concern. There are an estimated 3,000 more residential units that have been approved and not yet built out, most as a result of planned developments approved in previous years, prior to my being a Trustee. I have worked to try to limit any new developments and the numbers of residential units in new developments, but this has been a challenge because of a previously approved Consent Decree.
• Moving forward, if I am re-elected, I will continue my efforts to fix the Township Zoning Resolution to limit some of this rapid growth with modifications to the Basis for Approval to more objectively determine any adverse impacts on the schools for any new rezoning application. We don’t have to approve every rezoning request that comes before the Board of Trustees, as long as we have a clear basis for not approving an application.
• My goal is to continue to work closely with all of the local school districts to keep them informed and involved with this residential growth so they may better plan for the influx of new students. Planning needs to be addressed by the Trustees, the schools and the community.
• Since a big part of the problem has been limitation of funds for building new facilities to keep up with increased numbers of students, I also support statewide efforts to better fund schools and reduce or eliminate reliance on local property taxes.

More Trails and Parks are the focus of ongoing plans

• Assisting with the Master Plan for Union County Trails and Bikeways. Follow up is needed to ensure that the Township Zoning Resolution will be in compliance and will require new developments along the approved Trails Plan to install shared-used pathways during construction phases
• Master planning for Parks and Cemeteries has been initiated with a recent MORPC survey and summary report indicating future needs and priorities with suggestions for funding sources. See report at Parks and Cemeteries Study Approved | News | Jerome Township, OH
• There is a need for better interconnection between existing trails with other trails in nearby residential developments and connection to the County Trails and Township Parks.

• Pressures from nearby cities and villages continue to bring more developers which impacts the rural character of our township
• Upgraded performance and development standards are needed for any new employment area businesses, especially noise, lighting, safety and construction standards for data centers and any other manufacturing commercial development that impacts surrounding residential neighbors
• Scenic rural viewscapes need better setbacks and landscape buffering
• Preservation of any historical features, buildings and farmlands needs to be prioritized.

• Preserving rural character, the environment and scenic viewscapes with more landscape buffering and better setbacks to protect the Big Darby Creek watershed, wetlands and woodlands is one of my priorities
• To do so we need to upgrade the standards in the Zoning Resolution.

• Residential growth costs more for community services than business growth, therefore it is important to have balanced growth with enough new business taxes to support the costs of residential development
• Data Centers have the potential for offering a boost to the local economy, but must be done with respect to neighbors with noise and light mitigated, more landscape buffering to protect rural viewscapes, better construction requirements to prevent mud on roads and increased safety for workers. They also need to deal with limitations for water and energy usage
• One of the main challenges for our township is that we are not able to collect income taxes and must operate on funding primarily from property taxes; this limits what we can afford to do as opposed to what cities and villages can do
• Townships are also not permitted to collect impact fees. That makes it important to work with the County Engineer, on public private partnerships and economic development agreements to make sure that developers pay their fair share for development.

• The township needs to continue to be fiscally responsible with balanced budgets to support community services
• We must continue to invest wisely in infrastructure with the use of funds from the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and the Joint Economic Development District (JEDD)
• We must improve communications with our community including the website, social media, live streaming and LED signage with events messaging at the township building.
• We need to continue working cooperatively with the County and neighboring public officials to safeguard funds.
• We must respond to concerns of residents and businesses
• We can reduce expense for outside legal counsel services by increased use of free legal services from the Union County Prosecutor’s Office.

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Vote to re-elect me for another 4 years so I can work on completing these goals and continue my efforts to improve the quality of life in our community.