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Councilman leaving city in good hands with 3 in running

After 19 years as the 4th Ward Council for the City of Marietta, I will be retiring as your councilman at the end of this term. I feel that I will be leaving the city in very good hands with Kathy Downer, Steve Thomas and Geoff Schenkel running to serve the city during the next term of Council.

Kathy Downer has been your representative as Council-at-Large since she first ran in 2013. In her four years as a member of Council she has served as Streets Chairwoman and as Council’s liaison to the traffic commission. What I can tell you is that she has performed as well, if not better than all of her predecessors, myself included. She has diligently watched the budget numbers for the Streets Fund and has made sure that your streets, alleys and sidewalks, as well as snow removal, sidewalk repair and potholes have been adequately funded and maintained. She has an outstanding memory and works with the engineering department to ensure that streets project are brought before Council in a timely manner. She has been working on a Right of Way ordinance to protect City property from intrusions like we saw with the tree take down on Eighth Street. When there has been a constituent issue with a street in the 4th Ward, Kathy has been there with me to look at the problem and get the administration to act. When we’ve needed help, Kathy Downer has been there to use her influence as your Council-at-Large representative to get results. I encourage you to keep Kathy working for you in the next term of Council by voting for Kathy Downer on Nov. 7.

Steve Thomas has served for the last six years as the Third Ward Councilman. Steve has been the Police and Fire Chair as well as serving on a variety of other committees. He has worked closely with the fire and police chiefs to keep safety services at the forefront of discussions by Council. You might have seen Steve riding along with the PD or FD squads to show support for our first responders and to gain firsthand experience so valuable for doing his job as Police and Fire chair. Bringing his experience with the citizens who are disabled to Council, he has advocated for those with disabilities throughout his tenure and provided Council with invaluable insight about making reasonable accommodations before ideas become legislation. Steve has also been an advocate for issues in his ward like going door to door to get citizen input and then working with AEP to get resolution when the Eighth Street tree crisis faced his Ward. Sitting next to and working with Steve for the last six years has given me valuable knowledge that I have been able to use to make better decisions for our City. Steve Thomas has provided a level of service to this community that no other candidate has. I encourage citizens in the Third Ward to vote to keep a dedicated City Councilman in office by voting for Steve Thomas.

Geoff Schenkel has stepped up to run for the Fourth Ward Council seat that I am leaving. I cannot think of a better candidate to run for this position. He brings youth to council and a unique perspective that only an experienced, involved citizen like Geoff has. What I really like about Geoff is his ability to listen before he speaks and his positive, upbeat approach to problem solving. Geoff is a resident of Harmar and is keenly aware of the problems facing the Fourth Ward. His service on the Boys and Girls Club governing board, which is located in the Fourth Ward, as well as his other community activities have prepared him for the challenges he will face as a member of Council. Geoff has lived in the Fourth Ward for most of his life and runs his own business in Harmar Village. What Council needs is a fair minded, action oriented person like Geoff. His enthusiasm and energy will be a great asset to getting those who are looking to get things done and making the changes that will have to take place to keep Marietta the great place to live and work that it is. I support and encourage you to vote for Geoff Schenkel to be the next Fourth Ward Councilman.

Please join me in supporting and voting for Marietta City Council candidates:

At-Large councilwoman and candidate Kathy Downer

3rd Ward Councilman and candidate Steve Thomas

4th Ward Council candidate Geoff Schenkel

Tom Vukovic, retiring 4th Ward Councilman, City of Marietta

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