Posted: 6:00 a.m.
Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015
Middletown council race features
3 newcomersBy http://www.journal-news.com/staff/ed-richter/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer
MIDDLETOWN —
All
four candidates for Middletown City Council have identified streets and
economic development/job creation as the top issues facing the city in the next
few years.
On
Nov. 3, two seats are up for grabs on the five-member council. The only
incumbent, Councilwoman Anita Scott Jones, is seeking her third four-year term,
while newcomers Steve Bohannon, Talbott Moon and Roy Gordon are seeking their
first terms.
Anita Scott Jones
Jones,
52, who has served as vice mayor during her tenure, said she attended every
City Council meeting as a citizen for six months before running for a council
seat.
“I
decided to get involved, not to complain about the city, but try to be a
positive conduit for the city,” she said. “I ran for City Council and received
enough votes to get elected twice. I have assisted hundreds of citizens over
the years, and I would like the opportunity to do so again.”
As
for the issues facing the city, Jones said Middletown is facing many of the same issues
other cities in the region and across the state are, including finding the
funds to maintain services for residents.
“Middletown
City Council members who have been on council for the past seven or eight years
have weathered the worst economic storms,” she said. “The challenges we face
like most other governments are improving the infrastructure, opportunities for
decent paying jobs, and continued economic development.”
Jones,
who is very active with many organizations throughout the community, is
currently a board member with the Butler County Regional Transit Authority; an
executive committee of the Warren County Municipal League; and an action
committee member with the Middletown Area United Way.
Steve Bohannon
Bohannon,
56, said the reason he’s running is to give something back to the city.
“This
city has helped me raise and educate my children, start and run a successful
business and allowed me to live the American dream,” he said. “It’s time to
give back.”
Bohannon
said the city needs to bring new businesses to town that will pay a middle-class
wage; strengthen the manpower of the city’s public safety forces without
raising taxes; and improve the city’s infrastructure through state and federal
grants and from new taxes generated through new job creation.
He
said his years in business have taught him how to communicate and listen to
people, how to operate within a budget, expanding his business through
advertising and “beating the bushes” to grow his business from the ground up.
“This
city has been in a free-fall for the last 10 years, if not more, and it needs
to turn around,” he said. “I feel with the experience I have gained over the
last 25 years in business, I would be a good asset to the City Council.”
Bohannon
is the past chairman of the Middletown Cemetery Board and is the chairman of the
Middletown Real Estate Investors Group representing the city’s landlords. He is
also a board member of the Middletown Safety Commission and the Rotary Club.
Roy Gordon
Gordon,
44, said he is running to help everyone in Middletown. He said city politics needs to be
changed and that he wants to bring a better voice to the community and fight
for people that need help.
He
said council needs to be more transparent and concise in what they are doing.
Gordon said council members need to be approachable and reachable. They also
need to ask the questions people want answers to, he said.
“I
am a 35-year resident of the city,” Gordon said. “I have 10 years total of
volunteer work of giving back to my community and have voted in almost every
election for 15 years. My commitment is to give back more to my community than
I receive.”
Gordon
said the top three challenges facing Middletown
include deteriorating infrastructure, the heroin problem, and the city’s
finances.
He
said council needs to prioritize and find the money to fix the city’s streets
and repair its parks. Gordon said too much money is being spent building of
heroin into the city. He suggests increasing police and fire department
staffing to above minimum levels, enforce current laws and find treatment for
people.
He
said the city needs to plan ahead and look for future fiscal impacts and find
other solutions and revenue sources. He said the city needs to bring in
companies without costing taxpayers money and stop spending money it doesn’t
have
Gordon
has been active in the community as a volunteer with Keep Middletown Beautiful
for the past eight years and with voter registration efforts for the past two
years.
Talbott Moon
Moon,
34, said he is running for a council seat because of a desire to make Middletown a more
successful community, a great place to live, work and raise a family.
“We
have a strong city with much to be proud of, but times are hard for many
Middletonians and changes are needed to recapture some of our past prosperity,”
Moon said.
He
said Middletown
is at a “crucial moment” in its history as it faces critical issues such as
poor roads and other aging infrastructure, subsidized housing and economic
development while it is supporting core city services.
“Things
can be better, but only if we change how we operate,” Moon said. “Residents
have grown frustrated and ready for a fresh perspective. My life-long love for Middletown, my business
experience, and sound judgment have equipped me to help make the needed
improvements.”
A
life-long resident, Moon said he’s watched multiple generations of his family
live and successfully build their business in Middletown, and he understands
what changes are needed to make the city an attractive place to locate a
business and create a “community first” atmosphere. He said his background not
only allows him to understand the challenges facing the city, but to solve
them.
Moon
has been active in the community as a board member and chairing committees of
The Chamber of Commerce Serving Middletown, Monroe
and Trenton; as a volunteer leader and committee
member at the Oaks
Community Church;
and as committee member with The Business Alliance.
ROY GORDON
Age: 44
Family: Two brothers, two sisters; and his mother
Employment/Profession: Carpentry, Maintenance
Education: Franklin High
School graduate 1989; working on a business degree
at Cincinnati State Middletown Campus
Prior elected offices: None
STEVE BOHANNON
Age: 56
Family: Married, three children
Employment/Profession: Owner, Bohannon Roofing Company, Inc.
Education: Northmont High
School, 1977; Sinclair
Community College, 1981,
associate’s degree in civil engineering
Prior elected offices: None
ANITA SCOTT JONES
Age: 52
Family: Married; two grown step-sons in Alabama
Employment/Profession: Hospital relations manager at Atrium
Medical Center;
adjunct professor at Cincinnati
State Community
College.
Education: Completing a doctorate in educational leadership; received
a master’s degree in business administration; completed 2 1/2-years of law
school; and a bachelor’s degree in 1987.
Prior elected offices: Completing her second four-year term on Middletown City
Council
TALBOTT MOON
Age: 34
Family: Married
Employment/Profession: Agency partner/Owner, Moon & Adrion Insurance Agency
Education: Middletown High
School, 2000; Miami
University, 2004,
bachelor’s degree in political science.
Prior elected offices: None
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