Developmental Disabilities of Clark County’s group Self Advocacy for You (S.A.Y.) held a Meet the Candidates event on September 14, 2016 to allow all of the candidates running for positions representing Clark County at the state and local level the opportunity to introduce themselves and to share with the community the reasons they deserve the communities support. S.A.Y. is a group of people with disabilities who advocate control of their own lives and speak up for themselves. S.A.Y. participants believe that although a person with a disability may call upon the support of others, they are entitled to control their own resources and how they are directed. They want reduce the isolation of people with disabilities and to control their own lives. Because of this philosophy, the members of S.A.Y. directed the political candidates to answer questions that directly affected the quality of their lives.
State Senate
Matthew Kirk
Matthew Kirk studied Urban and Regional Planning in College at Miami University. He worked as an economic development professional for the State of Ohio and the City of Columbus, working with the business sector and communities to secure economic opportunities for residents of Ohio. He is a husband, father and livelong public servant.
Kirk said, “We need to create a culture of inclusiveness. We need to raise the level of acceptance. In order to do this S.A.Y. needs to be more active in the community.”
Bob Hackett
Bob Hackett currently serves as the State Representative of the citizens of Ohio’s 74th House District, which encompasses portions of Clark, Greene, and all of Madison Counties. He is a lifelong resident of the district. Hackett earned a degree in Economics from Columbia University after which he returned to the area and worked in agriculture for six years before beginning a career in financial services. He founded the Central Ohio Financial Management Group LLC, where he remained for the past thirty years. He served as the representative from the 74th District before he was appointed to the State Senate in February 2016.
Hackett stated that he believes in order to best serve the needs of S.A.Y. participants there needs to be more public/private partnerships. He said, “The two things everyone wants and needs are transportation and jobs. This creates a win/win for everyone.”
State House of Representative
79th District
Alex Wendt
Alex Wendt was born and raised in Springfield He graduated from Springfield North High School, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Cleveland State University. While in college, he worked nights at the fire department while he was a full-time student during the day. He still works as a firefighter/EMT in Yellow Springs and has served as an intern in the Xenia City Manager’s Office and for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown.
Wendt encouraged S.A.Y participants to keep doing what they are doing. He also advocated teaching tolerance at home and in schools.
Kyle Koehler
Kyle Koehler is serving his first term in the Ohio House representing the 79th District, which includes portions of Clark County. Koehler is a life-long resident of Clark County. He graduated from Wright State University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Computer Science. He worked for seven years as government contractor for the Air Force and Navy as a Senior Software Engineer. He returned to K.K. Tool, the family business, as a Vice President in charge of Design and Development in 1990.
Koehler said, “Everyone deserves a culture of inclusiveness. We need to raise the level of acceptance. S.A.Y. should be more active in the community.
74th District
Barb Niemeyer
Barb Niemeyer earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Ohio State University in education. She recently retired from education after 35 years as a public educator and serves as a Choctaw Lake Trustee and a member of the Board of Directors at the SMART Federal Credit Union.
Neimeyer said that as a classroom teacher, she worked in an inclusive classroom and understands the many challenges that individuals with disabilities faced. She expressed her enthusiasm for what she had learned about TAC Industries. She said, “Everyone deserves a sense of belonging.”
Bill Dean
Bill Dean is the current state representative for the 74th District. He did not attend the meeting.
Clark County Commissioners
Robert Tackett
Robert Tackett is a graduate from Wright State University with a degree in Political Science. He served during the Vietnam War in the United States Marine Corp and is a Purple Heart Recipient. Tackett previously served as a Clark County Commissioner for 28 years.
Tackett, who is disabled, indicated that the issues that the S.A.Y. participants felt are important and near to his heart. He said, “Diversity is important. We need to do more as a community to promote the acceptance of diversity. He said “SCAT is good; however, many residents of the community are concerned about transportation to the proposed Kroger store in the township.” He also added that he would like to see more funding allocated to provide recreational activities for individuals with disabilities. He said, “Jobs are the most important. Many individuals with disabilities aren’t able to get jobs.”
Melanie Flax-Wilt
Melanie Flax Wilt grew up on a farm in Clark County and turned her experiences into a bioscience public relations agency.
When asked how Flax-Wilt would promote diversity she replied, “Diversity is not about skin color, ethnic background, or abilities. Diversity is about perspective, about thinking differently. We need to create a culture of inclusiveness and to listen and understand.” She also said that she believed that the SCAT brand needs to be updated. She said, “Springfield is not set up for public transportation. A committee needs to be established to develop more awareness of community needs.” Wilt also proposed that the community promote more recreational activities and possible repurpose the Upper Valley Mall to provide more recreational activities for all segments of the community.
When asked if she would hire a handicapped employee, Wilt admitted that her office is not handicap accessible. However, she said, “It bothers me every day. I think that builders and restate developers need to increase accessibility.” -
Clark County Commissioners
David Herier
David Herier was born in Clark County, Ohio the son of a public school teacher and union autoworker. He is a graduate of Shawnee High School, Wright State University, and the University of Dayton School of Law. Herier has practiced law in Springfield, Ohio, for more than 20 years; and is currently a partner in the firm Geyer, Herier & Associates Co., L.P.A.
Herier serves Clark County on the Boards of the Clark County Chapter of the American Red Cross, Springfield Christian Youth Ministries, Nehemiah Foundation, the Housing Connection and others. He also volunteers legal services for various area churches, religious organizations, and the Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project for Clark County.
When asked how Herier would promote diversity, he said, “We have the opportunity everyday to decrease prejudice by our example on how we treat others.” In addition, he also recognized the issues that many individuals with disabilities face as they try to navigate public transportation. He said, “A lot of privatization has been forced, which presents a huge challenge. We need to be proactive both as individuals and as government agencies.” When asked if he would hire an individual with disabilities, Herier said, “I feel blessed to have had a lot of interactions with the over 20 people for which I am a guardian. I believe that business should promote hiring individuals with disabilities.”
Lowell McGlothin
Lowell McGlothin grew up in Clark County and graduated from Tecumseh High School He served four years in the United State Marine Corps. He attended Long Beach City College and owned an Insurance Business in New Carlisle for 30 years. He served on the New Carlisle City Council for 14 years and as New Carlisle Mayor for four years.
When asked how he planned to promote diversity and decrease prejudice McGlothin said that he planned to promote the current policies that were in place to provide these protections. He also encouraged S.A.Y. members to continue to speak out for themselves. He said, “If you are working to better things, they will get better. Don’t sit down, stand up and be heard.” He noted that he would solicit ideas from the group to ensure that their needs would be met. He also reiterated his belief that individuals with disabilities could be successful in the insurance industry.
Clark County Sheriff
Gene Kelly
Sheriff Kelly received his associate of arts degree in Criminal Justice from Clark State Community College, a Bachelor of Arts degree from Antioch University in Human Services Administration, and a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Xavier University. Sheriff Kelly is a graduate of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy, where he also serves as an adjunct faculty member. Kelly has been the sheriff of Clark County, Ohio, since 1987. Sheriff Kelly began his law enforcement career with the Springfield Police Division in 1972.
Kelly reported that he had volunteered at the TAC auction and recognized that individuals with disabilities were a vital part of the community. He said, “TAC is number one in the world at providing jobs for our disabled individuals in our community.” He also added that he has worked diligently to reduce crime in the community. He said, “The crime rate fell 23% between 2012 and 2015. We are helping people with drug and alcohol problems get jobs with living wages.”
Deb Burchett
Deb Burchett, who has lived in Clark County since 1971, earned her Associates Degree in Criminal Justice Technology from Clark State in 2007. She served in the Clark County Sheriff’s Department from 1982 through 2011. She was named the first female Sergeant of a detective unit in the history of the department. Currently, she is enrolled at Columbia Southern University working on her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration. She is currently employed at the South Vienna, Ohio Police Department and as an extra duty officer for Wings of Love Bingo.
Burchett said, “I believe that my friends with disabilities are the same as I am. We all want the same things, community, love and respect. Anyone regardless of abilities can help. I believe the sheriff’s office is only as good as the community. Everyone needs to stand behind law enforcement.”
Clerk of Courts
Melissa Tuttle
Melissa Tuttle, who is a local attorney, would like the opportunity to serve Clark County as Clerk of Common Pleas Court. She asked for the community’s support vote in November to help update the office.
When asked if Tuttle knew of anyone with a disability, Tuttle said, “I grew up with a friend who was confined to a wheel chair. I found the experience humbling. In my experience, I have found that individuals with disabilities are some of the hardest working people I know. I volunteered for the Amazing Race. I think it is important to help. As a volunteer, I received more from the people that I helped than they did from me. I believe that we need to make the public records available to anyone to search from the privacy of their homes without the risk of false negative. I believe the power should be put in the people’s hands.”
Ron Vincent
Ron Vincent is the current Clerk of Courts. He was late for the meeting and did not share his background. He said, “I want to continue to improve the office without additional funding. My goal is to install a new public records search system that would be paid by user fees.”
