OCR 3149

New Carlisle City Councilman Ethan Reynolds was ceremoniously sworn into office on Saturday, December 19 by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.

The New Carlisle Fire Division and Chief Steve Trusty welcomed DeWine and many of Reynolds’ family and friends to the fire house Saturday afternoon for the ceremony, in which Attorney General administered the oath of office to Reynolds, who also works as a constituent liaison for DeWine’s office.

Reynolds said he has admired DeWine’s work since he was just a boy, saying that Saturday’s ceremony of being sworn-in by one of his idols was indescribably meaningful.

“He’s someone I’ve looked up to for so long—it’s wild to think that I work for him now and that he was there to swear me in,” said Reynolds of DeWine’s visit. “I look up to that man more than anything.”

Reynolds has worked for DeWine for about a year now, assisting constituents with issues, maintaining correspondence between his office and the public, and also helping residents find the proper outlet for voicing their concerns.

DeWine said that Reynolds’ ability to personally connect with his constituents is what distinguishes him from other politicians, noting that Reynolds’ face-to-face meetings with residents create a more trustful relationship.

“You know, the first thing I noticed about Ethan was that he goes out and knocks on doors,” said DeWine. “That’s the best way to get to know people, because they’ll tell you the problems they’re having if you knock on their door and actually talk to them.”

“If you’re going to represent them, it’s the best way to find out what they care about,” DeWine said of in-person campaigning.

DeWine said that Reynolds’ habit of consistent door-knocking during campaign season is reminiscent of his own campaigning when he first ran for Greene County Prosecutor, noting that he and his wife Fran traveled around countless neighborhoods to make their acquaintance with Greene County voters. He also commended Reynolds’ obvious zeal for his city and dedication to voters’ demands, saying: “I think Ethan has a real passion to serve, and I think it’s so important that someone who runs for office should truly want to serve the people.”

This will mark Reynolds’ second term on City Council. At 24 years of age, Reynolds is not only the youngest member of council currently, but was also the youngest person ever to take office in New Carlisle when he was first elected at the age of 19. Currently attending Wright State for Political Science, Reynolds will graduate in the spring, and while he said he will honor his commitment to serve the city for the next four years, he hasn’t yet decided what to do with his life when this term ends.

“It all depends on what God’s plan is for me,” Reynolds said. “I know that can come across as sounding kind of corny, but I really don’t know what I’ll be called to do after these four years are up.”

Upholding his faith, Reynolds swore-in on his great-grandfather’s Bible that was passed along to him just before the ceremony. The Bible also contains a hand-written list of Reynolds family members dating back to 1889, and Reynolds was instructed to take over the duties of documenting new additions to the family through birth or marriage.

Reynolds said the biggest issue facing New Carlisle is the budget, saying that the city is “still spending too much and taking in too little.” He also addressed the city’s police force issue, saying: “the continued efforts of certain members of council keep the status quo going,” and noted that he will work to change the “status quo in any way that I can.” Reynolds said that a special meeting expected to be held sometime this week was called after other members of council “saw the fear of God” in regards to some voters’ reaction to the city having only three deputies instead of the four recommended by the half-percent tax increase for the return of a full police force. Reynolds believes that threats of a recall on the tax increase and members of council posted on social media have prompted the city to re-examine the addition of one more deputy to the force for a total of four.

“People started threatening a recall and threatening them,” Reynolds said. “They’re going to spend General Fund money so they can keep the promise they made.”

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