Welcome!
This series of interviews builds off years of personal and professional experience in and around Hilliard politics and hopes to provide local voters with expanded perspective on important local issues and voting choices.
Our first interview subject is long-time city council person Les Carrier as he seeks a new position within local government - Township Trustee.
Up top and in brief, we cover Les’ decision to seek a different office this election cycle (how that might affect his future if he is or isn’t elected), how he came to local governance and his path through the years.
We talk over the controversy surrounding a pending Dublin Road development and his polarizing choice of words to describe those developer models as “peasant housing” in a township meeting back in March.
Along Familiar Lines, Local Residents Rush to Marshal Forces and Contend with Developers
Developers of a planned 256-unit apartment complex on the west side of Dublin Road, south of Hayden Run Road say they are willing to make changes to the proposal based on the feedback from the approximately 200 area residents and concerned citizens at a May 1 meeting at Hilliard’s Joint safety Services Building, 5181 Northwest Parkway.
We segue directly into an expansive Community Plan discussion - which is at the heart of the “Save Hilliard” campaign and election slate
“Save Hilliard” means what exactly?
What a “Not No - But What” housing approach might look like
The Big Darby Accord / Watershed concerns now and for the future
What it could mean to fully organize the citizens of Hilliard beyond individual campaigns and selective fights
Lastly, we wrap up with Jordan’s favorite chew toy - TIF talk.
The mechanism’s complicated local history and present, unique hybrid nature (Council, Township, Schools power sharing)
The re-embrace of TIF by council for residential use with the TruePointe development within Hilliard city boundaries
The surprising “tipping point” at the heart of final approval votes surrounding TruePointe.
Long-time Hilliard Developer Equity Takes Transformational Steps with TruePointe
The restaurants and retailers that are to occupy the 52-acre mixed-use development to be known as TruePointe are yet to be revealed but are expected to include some names making their first foray in the central Ohio market, according to Steve Wathen, CEO of Hilliard-based Equity, and the developer of TruePointe.
We hope you enjoy this series and we are taking this very seriously.
We would like to extend a perpetual “thank you” to candidates and officials willing to make themselves available in this format.
Featured below is the guiding document we developed - drawing on decades of Kevin Corvo’s reporting experience - to provide residents the best chance to get to know the candidates you’ll be asked to vote for this November.
2023 Hilliard Beacon Election Candidate Interview Guidelines
Purpose of this document:
Create a framework for candidate interviews that will lend consistency to the overall project in an effort to keep the interviews fair and unbiased
Provide candidates with an idea of what to expect during the interview
Purpose of the interviews:
Provide a resource for Beacon Readers (and Hilliard voters in particular) to hear from candidates in a neutral environment so they can vote with confidence.
Give candidates the chance to speak at length about the issues they consider most important.
General format for the interview:
Timeframe for the interviews is open-ended. Most of our podcasts last about 40-50 minutes.
We will start with introductions and some chit-chat, then into questions.
Candidates will have the last word at the end of the interview to direct people to websites, fundraising, and ongoing contact.
General questions we may ask:
What’s your background/history in public service?
Why are you running for office?
What are the most important issues facing Hilliard and what can we expect of you if you win?
Outside your family and upbringing how did you develop your essential “common sense?”
Specific to longstanding and or ongoing issues in and around Hilliard as it pertains to our key focus areas - development, city governance, schools administration.
Of the 5 focus areas highlighted by the community plan which do you feel should be prioritized and how?
When it comes to Land Use how do you feel Hilliard should proceed with the Big Darby Accord?
On the subject of TIF - talk about your understanding of recent Hilliard history and how we got here via Issue 9 - Issue 25 - The Hilliard Development Corporation - and tax abatements in general? Examples: BMW Financial - Hickory Chase.
We will be putting considerable time into talking about the Community Plan- we’ll ask what you like about it, what you do not like about it, and what policies you will pursue in light of the plan.
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