Preserving our Past and Preparing for our Future
Preserving our Past and Preparing for our Future
I have proudly served as Bath Township Trustee for nearly 4 years. Previous to these last four years, I served for 14 years as Bath Township Fiscal Officer.
These combined 18 years of service and dedication to Bath have provided me with a wealth of knowledge of our township government, including finances, operations, history, and challenges.
I love our community and appreciate the diverse people who choose to reside here. As we look to the future, I ask for your vote on November 4th. I would love nothing more than to continue to serve this community as a Bath Township Trustee.
Accomplishments
Proven Leadership & Community Impact
Proven Financial Stewardship: Maintained 14 years of clean audits and modernized township finances with online payment options, ensuring transparency and accountability for taxpayers.
Stronger Oversight & Good Governance: Restructured audit processes and empowered advisory committees to strengthen fiscal oversight and community trust.
Champion for the Environment: Established ongoing electronics recycling programs and promoted sustainable practices that protect our local environment.
Building a Connected Community: Created opportunities for neighbors to come together through new community events and support for long-standing traditions, while also reinstating employee recognition initiatives.
Smart, Responsible Growth: Led township planning reviews to ensure balanced land use and thoughtful development that safeguards our community’s character.
Dedicated to Teamwork & Support: Invested in staff training, support, and facilities improvements to ensure township employees can best serve residents.
Regional Leadership & Collaboration: Brought together local agencies for joint crisis communication training and fostered collaboration that strengthens our region’s preparedness and resilience.
Commitment to Township Assets & Infrastructure: Prioritized the care, upkeep, and modernization of township properties and facilities, ensuring they remain safe, functional, and lasting investments for the community.
Goals
Preserve & Prepare
Every election cycle we hear very similar answers to what the goals and objectives are for elected officials; to control costs while maintaining the same level of services. I have written these words, myself, almost verbatim because it’s true. These will always be the challenges faced by elected officials in a township to control increasing employment and equipment costs without wanting to burden residents through increased property taxes.
Having said this, I am extremely concerned about two new and very specific challenges we will face in the next year in Bath Township. The first is our need for a new fire station as the foundation of the current location is, literally, failing. We (the Board of Trustees, administrator, fire chief, architects, and legal counsel) have discussed this need for the past two years. Where do we build? What should we build? How do we finance this enormous project? I don’t want to pay an increase in property taxes, do you?!
The second challenge is the proposed legislation at the State level to suspend property taxes. As of this writing, even U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has proposed a nationwide ban of property taxes. This is a very popular concept, and rightfully so. The issue is, townships operate, primarily, from property taxes; police, fire, service (roads), parks, and general services come from levies in the form of property taxes. How do we – as the Board of Trustees – help legislators understand what this would mean for a township?
These two challenges, as well as many others, require someone who has lived the history of our township and has extensive experience in township governance.
18 Years of Proven Commitment to Bath Township
About Me
I’m embarrassed to say it was about 10 years after I moved to Bath I realized I lived in a township and, exactly, what the form of township government was; but once I understood it, I loved the efficiency and objectivity of small government. I love that township elected positions are non-partisan and am proud we (the Board members, Administration, and department heads) do not discuss politics. We are here to serve the residents of Bath Township to the best of our ability and that service should not be colored red or blue.
I have often joked I’m the outlier in my family as I’m the only one who did not graduate from Revere High School. I grew up in the Ellet area of Akron. My husband’s family moved to Bath Township from west Akron when he was 8 years old. So, how did an east side girl meet a west side boy? That’s a story for another day! When we were married, I wanted to move somewhere I perceived to be more affordable and John said no. He had already bought our first home and was fully entrenched in Bath and, for once, I’m glad he didn’t listen to me. My in-laws had a long history in Bath and my late, beloved dad-in-law, Ernie, served on one of Bath’s zoning committees several years ago and was a wonderful mentor to many in the community as a civil engineer.
Our daughter, Katie, holds a PhD in Molecular Medicine and resides in Shaker Heights with her husband, Adam – a radiologist and, also, a Revere grad - and our amazing grandson, Artyom, who we call Arty. Our son, Stephen, holds a BS in Communications and resides in Southern California working as an audio engineer for LinkedIn. He and his partner, Mary, are living their best life in Ventura with their sibling cats, Boo and Scout. As you can imagine, Mom and Dad are always panicked when there’s word of the latest wildfire.