(Photo by Gwen Sour) Marietta City Council members prepare for their regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday evening.

Five sitting members of Marietta City Council are seeking re-election this November without challengers, continuing their focus on infrastructure, finances, and protecting the city’s drinking water.

Facing infrastructure concerns, financial pressures, and ongoing disputes over injection wells near the city’s aquifer, the council members are pitching their records and priorities as proof they are prepared to navigate the next term.

Ben Rutherford

Councilman Ben Rutherford, 53, said one of his proudest accomplishments has been helping create the city’s budget stabilization fund.

“When we first came on board, we had some difficulties balancing the budget,” he said. “Now that we have a little bit of money, in case we’ve got another sinkhole open up somewhere, we’ve got a pot of money to pull from.”

He credited working with fellow council members and the Finance Committee for making those reserves a reality.

Rutherford said his top priority now is addressing the city’s stormwater system, which he described as neglected for more than a century.

“We have an infrastructure underneath our feet that is set to create more and more issues over the next few years,” he said, pointing to the growing number of sinkholes and collapsing drains as evidence of the need for urgent investment. “We can’t just pretend like it’s a problem that doesn’t exist.”

He also highlighted efforts to protect the city’s aquifer from injection well risks.

New monitoring wells are planned to give early warning if contaminants appear.

“It’s one thing to say we’re going to protect them, and it’s another to actually do something,” he said. “The best way we know right now is to monitor what’s underneath our feet.”

Rutherford said his approach is grounded in project management and problem-solving.

“I’m not much of a marketing person or an advertising person,” he said. “I’m much more of a person who wants to get in and get something done and not just talk about it.”

Bill Gossett

Councilman Bill Gossett, 55, who chairs the Streets Committee, said his priorities continue to center on infrastructure and affordability.

“At this point, my priority would be the same thing everybody else is going to be concerned about, which would be the injection wells,” he said, adding that protecting water and maintaining roads are inseparable issues for the city.

“That’s inseparable from our water and our streets, because if something happens with our water, the cost to fix that affects everything else,” Gossett said.

He is seeking more paving dollars and is against creating a stormwater fee.

“I’m not really a supporter of a storm water fee, which is going to be just another fee on the water bill,” Gossett said. “I’m just not interested in getting the city into any more debt.”

He also highlighted projects he has supported, including the Silent Battle Memorial at Gold Star Park and the new water treatment plant now under construction.

“Those are investments in our future, things we can all be proud of,” he said. “But we have to balance that with fiscal responsibility.”

Gossett said his perspective as a small business owner shapes his approach on council.

“I understand the struggles of everyday people,” he said. “There is no political affiliation with common sense.”

Harley Noland

Councilman Harley Noland, 73, who has served several terms, highlighted the major infrastructure upgrades completed during his tenure.

“I’ve seen City Hall completely renovated, we built a multi-million-dollar water sewer plant, and now we’re doing the water treatment plant,” he said.

Noland said economic vitality is his top concern moving forward.

“We need to get some new folks and younger folks in, because retirees don’t pay into the city income tax,” he said. “That tax base is what allows us to keep improving our infrastructure.”

He also emphasized the role of volunteerism in Marietta’s civic life.

“Marietta has always been a city of volunteers,” he said. “As our city revenues diminish, we need more and more things done by volunteers, such as the tree commission. We could use a whole troop of people to help maintain our parks.”

Jon Grimm

Councilman Jon Grimm, 59, who has served several terms, pointed to accomplishments from his early years as well as priorities for the next council.

“My biggest accomplishment was in my first term, when I chaired lands, parks and buildings and shepherded through the municipal court project back in ’08-’09,” he said.

He also oversaw improvements at Mount Cemetery during that time.

In his current term, Grimm said he is most concerned with restoring transparency in council operations. He has advocated for webcasting council and committee meetings so residents can watch live or on demand.

“We need to do something to make that available and accessible,” he said. “It’s hard for people to attend meetings in person, but they still deserve to know what’s happening.”

On public safety, Grimm favors putting more resources toward patrols.

“Being present in the community is a deterrent,” he said. “We should be so lucky to have a police force full of bored police officers.”

He added that accessibility to constituents is key.

“I want to hear from all sides, even if we don’t agree,” he said.

Susan Vessels

Council President Susan Vessels, 52, is seeking re-election to a fourth term, saying her record shows both financial progress and steady leadership.

“Marietta’s parks are clean, and our books are now clean,” she said. “We have $1,100,000 in a new budget stabilization fund.”

Vessels, a Republican who has been on the ballot six times, said the city has worked through financial challenges but continues to face new issues.

“As with life, when you fix one problem, it is not long before another one pops up,” she said.

The latest, she said, is the expansion of injection wells near the city’s aquifer.

“My re-election platform is PROTECT OUR WATER.”

She pointed to the August 2025 permit issued by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for a new DeepRock disposal well despite objections from city leaders.

“Nine elected officials in Marietta, including five Republicans and four Democrats, filed an objection letter,” Vessels said. “Less than three weeks later, and without a hearing, ODNR issued the permit…I prefer not to trust the future of our city to this company,” she said.

As council president for nearly six years, Vessels said she has presided over 170 regular and special meetings and overseen nearly 1,300 ordinances and resolutions.

“I do this because I love my home of 22 years,” she said. “Marietta is the best historic city in the nation, and is worth fighting for.”