ThisWeek CW 10/1/2015
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/09/28/nov–3-mayors-race-candidates-id-growth-as-top-issue-in-groveport.html
The nonpartisan mayor’s race in Groveport on Nov. 3 will give voters a choice between longtime incumbent Lance Westcamp and challenger Dave Gale.
Gale said his 35 years of management experience in both the public and private sector at J.C. Penney Logistics, WESCO Distribution and the Ohio State Highway Patrol, as well as his six years of service in the U.S. Army Reserves, are the foundation of what he would bring to the office.
Gale has lived in Groveport for the past 22 years and served on the Planning and Zoning Commission and Groveport Preservation Committee, chaired the Board of Zoning Appeals and served as both president and treasurer of the Groveport Heritage and Preservation Society.
He said the biggest issues over the next four years will be “reducing Groveport’s heavy dependence on the warehousing industry; establishment of a development plan that controls yet promotes growth and protects individual assets while benefiting citizens and business; establishment of outstanding customer service in all aspects of city government with a focus on putting our citizens and businesses as top priority; and establishing an excellent working relationship with our small businesses and work with them to solve their problems.”
Westcamp, who served on city council from 1988-1994 with a term as president, has been the city’s mayor since 1994. He is a lifelong resident of Groveport.
Westcamp said the issues the mayor will face in the next four years include “allowing for additional industrial growth in a responsible manner; responding to the needs of the business community as it relates to employee recruitment and retention, all the while insuring that Groveport maintains its hometown character and continues to provide excellent service to its residents.”
Both candidates said they believe residents are one of Groveport’s key assets, along with the community’s proximity to Rickenbacker International Airport and its ability to attract business development related to the transportation hub while retaining a “hometown” charm.
“These issues can be tackled by engaging and responding to the needs of our greatest asset, our residents, assembling the resources to address the needs of our businesses and maintaining an open line of communication with both communities,” Westcamp said. “I will provide leadership by continuing to manage an extremely talented administrative staff that I have assembled during my tenure as mayor, continuing to work in a positive and effective manner with our city council, and listening to the needs our residents and businesses.”
Gale outlined a four-pronged plan for the future.
“Groveport receives the largest portion of (its) income from the warehouse industry,” he said. “I will put together a development plan that seeks to diversify where this income generates from.
“The land that borders our residential areas … should be zoned for suitable neighbors that are more noise-friendly and contain buildings that blend more easily with the current landscape,” Gale said. “We will attract new small business by showing our current businesses that we value them and are here to do everything we can to make them successful. I will start from day one, cultivating that relationship by meeting regularly with the business owners and listening to and reacting to their problems.”
Westcamp said he would continue to push the city staff to provide excellent customer service to residents and to provide great value to the city.
Gale said he believes the current city government isn’t providing adequate service to residents and his administration would change that.
“People often wonder why we don’t have more places to eat in the city and (have) a lack of shops in the downtown area,” Gale said. “Our culture in city government is one of task completion, not providing help and assistance to our citizens and businesses. I will change this culture immediately.”
Westcamp hopes voters will recognize his administration as one that delivers on its promises.
“I’ve proven I can deliver,” he said. “Look at what my administration has accomplished in the last four years: excellent financial accounting and rating; received Auditor of State Award with Distinction; implemented an energy-reduction program for city buildings resulting in $101,413 of electric savings alone in 2014; purchased and renovated a building for the police department instead of building a new facility, saving more than $4 million to Groveport taxpayers; opened a new senior citizen-housing development; redeveloped blighted downtown property and brought Ace Hardware to spur additional downtown development; led management team that successfully negotiated the creation of 2,500 new jobs since 2011; and provided continued substantial increase in tax dollars for projects and essential financial assistance to the Groveport Madison schools.”
Gale hopes voters will look to him to be their advocate at City Hall.
“I have a record of continuous improvement throughout my career; a record of team-building, working with diverse groups of people and achieving outstanding results,” he said. “I know how to ignite business growth and I have new, fresh ideas and answers for the issues that face our city. I will be involved in every aspect of city business in our city on a daily basis.”
City council
Incumbent council members Jean Ann Hilbert and Shawn M. Cleary are running unopposed.
“I want to make sure that the right decisions are made so that we, the citizens, can have a city that we are proud of, raise a family in and grow old in,” Cleary said.
Hilbert also mentioned business investment as an ongoing priority, but said she is particularly concerned with keeping a focus on implementing the city’s comprehensive plan.
“We have an aggressive plant to maintain roadways, infrastructure and walkways that needs to stay on track,” Hilbert said.