3 incumbents, 2 challengers vying on Nov. 5 ballot

By Marc Emral
Editor
Memral@cherryroad.com

The only county-wide competitive race in the county is for the three positions on the county council.

Two Democrats are challenging the three Republican incumbents on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Democrat Hunter Collins lives in Aurora with his wife of one month and one adopted daughter.

He works at the Amazon air hub at Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport helping with inbound flights. He is also a labor organizer with Teamsters Local 89 helping to organize a union at Amazon.

He is running because he “absolutely loves this county.” He moved to the county as an adult. “I immediately felt I was home.”

His drive is to build the future for the county for his daughter so she can feel safe.

“I decided to run on ideas that I feel like will make our county as good as it as we can make it, and to continue to grow and be a wonderful safe community for people to raise kids in, and specifically for my daughter to grow up in,” he said.

Issues he is running on is to enhance the public service networks. “We have issues with our emergency medical services and even issue with our police forces and fire departments not being funded enough, not having enough support to the jobs we desperately need them to do,” Collin said.

He said he wants to generate new housing opportunities and incentivize new home development, especially catering to first-time home buyers. He added there is not enough affordable senior housing.

“We need to make sure that our senior citizens in Dearborn County are taken care of,” Collins said. “You know, they’ve taken care of us our their entire lives, and they have done wonders for our community, and it’s time that we make sure that they are taken care of as they age.”

A third issue is creating good-paying jobs. “So many of our citizens have to drive far out of the county to have a good paying jobs.”

Collins said he is available. “I put my phone number out there on every business card that I hand out to people. It’s on my flyers. It’s on everything. I’m someone who is available and who’s, ready, willing and able to listen and learn and to come together with people of all different backgrounds to find a solution.”

Republican Mark Dole was appointed to the Dearborn County Council after Alan Goodman was selected for the County Commission. He lives in Logan Township with his wife Jeanette and they have two sons and three grandsons. He is a regional manager operations and business development at the John R. Jurgensen Co.

He has been a county commissioner, is the GOP Chairman and served several years on the Dearborn County Sheriff’s Merit Board 5-plus years as president.

He said he wants to keep the county “going in the right direction, keep it fiscally responsible, and try to keep the good thing going.”

Dole said he wants to keep conservative people in office and he fits that description.

He said his top issue is for the county to have fiscal responsibility.

“To me, I believe that Dearborn County is a great place to live, and my goal is to keep it that way for the next generation,” he said. “and you know, our grandkids coming along. So plan, plan for the future and spend the funds wisely.”

He said he wants to leverage county funds to make it stretch farther. He pointed to Stellar Pathways as a program that can help Dillsboro, Greendale and parts of the county. “I think we need to try to keep doing that kind of stuff and leverage whatever dollars we can, whether it be Community Crossings money or the Stellar Pathways. I mean, there’s always more safety, road, and safety improvements that could be made throughout the county.”

He said he makes a good council member because he’s experienced and knows the issues.

“I previously served as a city councilman. I previously served as a county commissioner,” Dole said. “I’ve been in management with my company for 30 years or so (a total of 40 years). I’ve been in business and manage people, manage the funds and with a conservative approach. I would take care of … the county’s money like I would do my own.”

Republican council member Tim Doll is running for another term. He has worked at Perfect North Slopes for 29 years, the last eight as director of operations with a focus on risk management. He is a founding member of Greendale Cinema and LaRosa’s, and a founding member/owner of Buffalo Wings and Rings in Greendale.

He lives in Logan with his wife Jesse and two daughters.

He has served one term as council member and as a member the Republican Central Committee for seven years as treasurer. His list of organizations he belongs to include Dearborn County Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors, Dearborn County Solid Waste Board of Directors, 1Dearborn, and Children’s Advocacy Center, where he was a pat “Royal Couple.”

He said is it “critically important” the county stays focused on where the tax dollars are spent “to make sure that we’re investing in the services that our citizens are concerned about.”

“(We have to look) forward towards the future challenges that we’re going to face, and getting ahead of them, instead of reacting to them and doing all that while trying to keep as much money in the pocket of every citizen of Dearborn County.”

His issues are focusing on reducing the county’s dependency on casino for funding investments in the county, “meaning we can’t count on that revenue forever, and we need to be able to get off of it.”

Doll said he wants to keep county taxes low.

“But I think one of the things that’s important for folks to realize is we can’t keep doing what we’ve always done and expect the same results,” he said. “… (t)he longer we wait to make the improvements that we’re going to need in 20 years, the more expensive they’re going to be… the more it’s going to put us behind the eight ball on getting them done in a timely manner.”

His longevity in the community is, he said, one of the reasons he is a good councilmember.

“I’ve been around this community for a long time, and I have a proven track record of results,” he said. “Instead of just making promises as a candidate, you can see the businesses I’ve been involved in and the impact they’ve made in the community.

Democrat Dawn Victory retired form GE Aerospace after 35 years. She has lived in the county for more than 30 years.

She has one daughter and two grandchildren.

Victor said Dearborn County has been a “beautiful place to live and raise a family.

“I want to help it continue to grow,” she said. “I want to give back to Dearborn County with my time and experience – with an eye on the future – to ensure economic growth that provides good jobs, affordable housing with flourishing families.”

The issues she is looking at include infrastructure maintenance and improvements, “ensuring our citizens have safe roads, bridges and water. This is imperative for economic development.”

She said the safety and security for the entire county is important, and not just for the large communities, through effective and efficient funding and support systems for law enforcement, EMS and fire.

“Prioritizing the betterment of the community and the people in budget allocation decisions,” is another issue, she said

Victor said she will bring a fresh perspective to county council and ensure the county is questioning the status quo when appropriate on all budget line items.

“Dearborn County has a very large budget and it is easy, over time, to overlook opportunities for adjustments especially when considering changing priorities,” she said. “I promise not to do that. I am a team player, good listener, open to opposing views as well as being a quick learner. I am a problem solver at my core and I hope that I am given the opportunity to serve the citizens of Dearborn County.”

Glenn Wright lives in Sparta, near Moores Hills, with his wife. He is a first-term county council member who wants another term.

Wright is a retried teacher from East Central High School, and is broker/owner of Glenn Wright Real Estate and farms on 40 acres.

He was Dearborn County Recorder from 2010-2018.

He said he is running to keep the county on the right path.

“I think there’s parts of the county that tend to be forgotten, especially the rural Western part of the county,” he said. “We need a voice out here for that part of the county.”

Three issues he said the county have is the emergency medical system, roads and bridges especially in the rural areas, and taxes.

As for EMS, he said the Dillsboro situation needs a solution.

“We need to get the Dillsboro situation straightened out, and get back online,” he said. “Dillsboro got two units and a chase car. The county claims they’ve made an effort to work with them, but they aren’t giving everybody in the county the same contract. They got a real restrictive contract on Dillsboro, and the other ones are just kind of letting them and the money do whatever you want to do.”

Wright said there are many bridges and roads that need repair.

He said the county road crews are doing a good job, but the materials are high because of inflation.

Farmers are carrying the load on taxes, Wright said, mainly because of the supplemental homestead exemption.

“It seems like the rural parts of the county aren’t getting the favorable break, or getting the getting the money back that do we put in taxes,” he said.

Wright said he has lived in the county for 77 years and is familiar with all areas of the county.

“I pretty well know people in all parts of the county and I’m familiar with all the county from teaching and selling real estate,” Wright said. “Over the years, I’ve been pretty well all over the county, and know the people and know the infrastructure that we have.. And I think that’s probably my best qualification. Plus I’m a common sense fellow.”