League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Columbus Questions

What do you see as the one or two most significant challenges facing the community you would serve, and how would you propose to address them?

Housing and public safety are the most significant issues facing central Ohio. I understand the need for housing in Prairie Township. We must strike a balance between green space and development. We are currently working with all of the members of the Darby Accord to preserve the Big Darby Creek along with its tributaries, understanding that there will be growth in Prairie Township. Regarding public safety, during my current term as Trustee, we have increased the contracted hours for Franklin County Deputies to serve our community. We have added a successful Flock camera system to aid deputies, and there is now a dedicated non-emergency phone number dedicated to our residents.

What are your primary priorities for your term in office, and how would you plan to finance these priorities?

I would like to add our sixth park and continue building the next phases of the Prairie Township Sports Complex. Prairie Township recently updated the playground equipment at our five parks. We would like to build a new park on township property located on Dellinger Road and Hubbard Road. There is no park in this area. I would like to continue adding opportunities for residence at the sports complex; pickleball courts would be an example of possible new facilities.  Prairie Township will continue to apply for grants to fund these initiatives. The Trustees and staff work closely with our state and federal representatives seeking help to fund our projects. Over the past four years, we have successfully received over five million dollars in grants.

Central Ohio continues to experience a large population growth. How do you propose to address needed changes to infrastructure and housing options in your community based on this increase in population?

Unlike other local jurisdictions, Prairie Township updates the Zoning Code as needed to meet the current demands in our area. I am engaged with our Zoning Department and legal counsel to eliminate the “grey areas” in the code. The code has been updated twice in the last three years. I understand the need for infrastructure to develop areas in the township that are lacking items like water and sanitary. I will continue to work with Columbus and the County Commissioners to get the utilities extended to Prairie Township. We were recently successful in having water and sanitary lines extended to the new development on Galloway Road next to the Sports complex.

How do you plan to engage with residents and community stakeholders to ensure their voices are heard and represented in your decision-making?

My cell phone number and email address are listed on the Prairie Township website. I take calls at all hours of the day regarding questions or complaints. The agendas for the Trustees’ meetings are posted on the website on the Friday before the regularly scheduled Wednesday meeting. Residents are always welcome to call me if they have any questions regarding items to be voted on at the Trustees’ meetings.

Describe your approach to building consensus and resolving disagreements among different community stakeholder groups.

I believe that I strive to be transparent with the township constituents. The Township will host Open House meetings in the evening so a majority of the residents can attend. We will host multiple meetings to discuss drafts of the same topic as it progresses through final adoption. Recently, there was an Open House meeting to discuss Prairie Township's converting to a single trash hauler. Based on the feedback at that meeting, I propose that we not move forward with this, and the other Trustees agreed.