A few years ago I was listening to an old city employee, Andrea Tacoronte, describe the differences between our current Statutory City system of government and Charter City government, and I realized two things: becoming a Charter City is one of the most beneficial things Wilmington could do, and; I wanted to help be part of taking on this enormous task.

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The problem is, even though over 60% of cities our size in Ohio are already a Charter City, most people don’t know what that means, and no one person or group has the resources to educate our entire community. So, tonight I am announcing that I am running to be Wilmington’s last “Strong Mayor”, and I’m doing so for three reasons:

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1. People pay attention to the mayoral race, so I plan to use the campaign platform over the next two years to bring the benefits of becoming a Charter City to the center of conversation.​
    

2. This movement needs a face, a face to punch, and I have experience hearing people’s concerns and responding with grace—even good change gets pushback, as Pat Haley knows.
    

3. ​Our top city leader needs to be 100% dedicated to transitioning power from what he could do as a part-time mayor, to what could be done if City Council hired a full-time City Manager.

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I want to give you three reasons why you should support me, or really, why you should support the efforts of the growing Wilmington Charter Committee:

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1. You should support me if you’re a Conservative—Charter City government is a locally empowered government that runs like a business, which is a Conservative’s wet dream. I have no political enemies to punish or friends to reward, and I believe that “real change” is consistent progress, so all of Pat Haley’s appointees are welcome to stay and continue doing a great job.​
    

2. You should support me if you’re a Democrat—Charter City government can remove partisanship from City Council so that you don’t need to be closeted about your political views. I still believe the majority of Wilmington will vote Conservative, but at least we can be more fair on paper and not waste tax money on unnecessary primary elections.
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3. You should support me if you are a resident of Wilmington—Charter City government allows for experience in leadership, consistency of vision, and the local “home rule” power to address our issues (like housing and homelessness), honor our small town, agricultural heritage, highlight our points of pride (like our theatre, college, airpark, and equestrian center), and make our dreams a reality.

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One final thing I’ll note about myself is this: “I’m not FROM Wilmington, but I’m FOR Wilmington.” I’m 35 years old with community values and a college education. I own my home here, run a business with local employees, restored a building downtown, and mentor a student at Wilmington City Schools. I honestly never aspired to be mayor, but I love working to make Wilmington an even better place for our residents, visitors, and businesses. A Charter City is whatever we make it, so let’s work together towards this goal: let’s charter our success.