MOUNT VERNON — Four candidates are seeking three at-large Mount Vernon City Council seats in the Nov. 4 General Election.
Republican incumbents Amber Keener and Mel Severns won the May primary and are looking to retain their seats. Democrat Dale Miller also won the May primary, while Alan Reed is running as a write-in candidate.
Residents are invited to attend a Candidate Conversations Q&A event from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23, at The Woodward Opera House to learn more about the at-large candidates. The event is free to attend, but an RSVP is requested.
Live questions will not be taken from the audience. If you have a question for the candidates, email it to cheryl@knoxpages.com by Oct. 20.
To acquaint voters with the candidates prior to the Candidate Conversations, Knox Pages posed questions to all of the candidates via email. Below are their responses listed alphabetically. Keener did not respond.
Rodney ‘Dale’ Miller
•Age: 65
•Occupation: Retired
•Education: Lancaster High School Graduate. Attended Ohio University for three years studying Mechanical Engineering, all self-funded while working full-time and raising a young family.
•Qualifications for office: I was plant manager of a large glass fabricator in charge of 125-plus employees where I oversaw all aspects of scheduling, maintenance, HR, and OSHA requirements. I was former Vice President of local #502 of the Aluminum, Brick, and Glass workers Union. Represented 450 members, where I negotiated contracts and advocated for workers’ rights.
•How are you involved in the community? I am a member of Knox County Fish & Game. I support Habitat for Humanity and local food banks and Interchurch.
What prompted you to run for a council seat?
I have been very fortunate in my life, and now that I have retired, I want to give back to the community.
What are the three most significant issues facing the municipality? What will you do as a council member to address them?
1) Affordable housing.
2) Smart growth that takes into account the need to improve infrastructure.
3) Transparency/responsiveness to the people.
I am pro-property rights. I will relentlessly pursue CDBG projects that improve neighborhoods and encourage investment. I will work with the land bank to get properties rehabbed and ready for residency. I will support the wonderful works of Habitat for Humanity and encourage others to get involved. I will encourage infill development in the empty lots around town and work with city zoning codes to insure it doesn’t discourage infill development.
Finally, I have been attending council meetings, and I think more open questions and debate could happen in public sessions than what I have been seeing. I think the voice of the people has been missing from these meetings, and I feel that I can help bring that to the meetings.
I love to talk to everyone I see, and I love to listen. If you run into me at Kroger, I won’t run away from you, but I’ll listen and take your concerns to the next council meeting.
If elected, what committee assignments would you seek and why?
I would like to be on the Land Use and Development Committee so I can address legislation and public works projects. I would like to serve on the Fire, Police and Civil Defense Committee to address public safety concerns and the enforcement of city codes.
What differentiates you from your opponent(s)?
I am an independent thinker … nobody put me up to do this, so I’ll only be accountable to my Mount Vernon neighbors. I am retired and have the time to put into this, and I won’t have any conflicts. This is not a hobby, not a second job or part-time endeavor for me. I am 100% committed to doing the job at hand.
Alan Reed
•Age: 63
•Occupation: Content writer at Hibu; adjunct instructor at MVNU.
•Education: B.A. Communications, MVNU; A.A. Business Administration, Northwestern Business College
•Qualifications for office: 40-year city resident; developed strong relationships with city and county officials while serving as news reporter. Vested interest with children and grandchildren living in the city.
•How are you involved in the community?
– Active member at Lakeholm Church of the Nazarene
– Volunteer at Mount Vernon Music and Arts Festival
What prompted you to run for a council seat?
I have considered running for a few years and decided to do so now, wanting to have an active voice on council. I desire to keep on top of what is happening in our city while seeing that council makes responsible decisions for our residents.
What are the three most significant issues facing the municipality? What will you do as a council member to address them?
– City infrastructure
– Public safety
– Balancing budgets
I do have the topic of public safety as a main concern. I will see that council keeps this as a priority while seeking out projects to ensure continued safety within the city.
Even if it is not a popular vote, I will always vote to ensure that all projects are in the best interests of our residents while seeing that financial demands are kept within budget limits.
If elected, what committee assignments would you seek and why?
Parks and Recreation. I would like to maintain parks offerings in city. I have grandchildren who benefit from our park facilities. I would consider other departments as well.
What differentiates you from your opponent(s)?
Being a 40-year city resident, I have a vested interest in the community and have followed the growth of our city for these many years. My top priorities if elected to council would be to see that priorities be for safety and zoning issues.
I would bring a conservative, common-sense approach to council with a dedication to hearing my constituents’ concerns and doing my best to serve their needs and requests.
Mel Severns
•Age: 62
•Occupation: University Registrar
•Education: 1985 – Bachelor of Arts from Mount Vernon Nazarene University (major: Business Administration); 1991 – Master of Arts in Education from The Ohio State University (major: Higher Education and Student Affairs); 2009 – Master of Science in Management from Mount Vernon Nazarene University (major: Management)
•Qualifications for office: Background in business studies as well as administrator roles in workplace setting
•How are you involved in the community? I have been a city resident in Mount Vernon for 40 years. I have been married to my wife (Dee) for 40 years. I have worked at MVNU for 40 years.
This is my home. I want it to be a good, safe, and enjoyable community. I enjoy and support our parks, bike trails, and local businesses. I am an attending member of New Life Nazarene Church and active on two service committees at my church. I raised my two children in Mount Vernon, coached sports teams, and attended all their sporting and other events in the community.
What prompted you to run for a council seat?
If re-elected, this would be my third term on City Council. I began in 2021. My decision to run for City Council occurred because a local resident asked me if I would have interest. This person believed that I would be a benefit to Mount Vernon. I had no expectations for winning a seat, but I was elected in 2021. We still have good work to accomplish, and I want to be part of it for the residents of our city.
What are the three most significant issues facing the municipality? What will you do as a council member to address them?
These answers are not in priority order; all of them are important.
•Infrastructure improvements – streets (traffic), utilities, water, wastewater
We need a sound infrastructure by improving our streets, utility services, water and wastewater. A strong house has a firm foundation, and it works the same with building a strong city. Although much utility work has already been completed, more is needed to solidify the infrastructure. Most of this work is underground, so people do not see the benefits.
Personally, I am not pleased with the number of large trucks on our inner city streets. I hear this from friends and residents. It is especially problematic with trucks moving east and west across our city. This is not an easy fix, and we cannot impede city businesses with a bypass, but we have to keep moving forward to find ways to improve the traffic flow.
The Route 13 project will improve our north-south traffic and keep many trucks off the city square. Road construction is very expensive, so continuing to acquire state and/or federal grant funds will help offset the cost. We are spending significant money to improve our water and wastewater, critical necessities for any city. Residents deserve clean water and efficient wastewater services.
•Housing and Job growth – all levels of housing from apartments to residential structures are needed so our city can grow efficiently; jobs with living wages to build families and community
We need efficient and affordable housing in our city. While we have made some gains in housing the past few years, and while we have building in progress now, we are still behind the normal average in apartment and residential housing.
We have to use available land, utilize zoning codes, and set up the tax structure to attract area developers to build. The old middle school is one success story of repurposing an existing structure. If Mount Vernon wants to grow – and that’s a good question for the residents – then we have to find solutions for affordable housing.
In my opinion, housing and jobs go hand-in-hand. We need jobs with living wages so that people can afford housing. The Knox County Area Development Foundation is working smart to attract good paying jobs to the city.
Tax structures, proper zoning, and good facilities are necessary to attract employers, so City Council must support this growth through legislative measures. Job growth will increase the city tax base, which in turn helps everything – housing, business, infrastructure, neighborhoods, etc.
•Safety – police, fire, other front-line workers
One cannot watch the Ohio and national news for very long to see that we must maintain a sound police force and other first-responder forces. Safety is paramount to people.
I want to feel safe where I live; you want to feel safe where you live. If we want to have safe and walkable neighborhoods, then we must support our police. This is very important to me because our residents deserve to be safe.
Further growth will also demand continued support for fire department personnel and others in our community who work on the front lines for our safety. The number of personnel in these departments will need to increase as the city grows. We also need another fire station in the city on the east side.
If elected, what committee assignments would you seek and why?
I am currently the chair of the Streets and Public Buildings committee. We have been very busy. We need more funds for resurfacing and improving our streets. This is a budget need.
As the community is aware, we will build a new police station on Sychar Road. This will be an effective and efficient facility. The building at 5 N. Gay Street must be vacated, so we will be moving City Hall to the COTC building and the Mount Vernon Municipal Court to the current City Hall building on the square.
These are good moves for the city and will ultimately save the residents of Mount Vernon millions of dollars compared to original ideas for facilities.
What differentiates you from your opponent(s)?
I am not sure I can articulate specific differences. I am not seeking any other office and have no further aspirations politically. If any of the other candidates have aspirations for public office beyond the local level, then that would be a difference.
I want to improve the community I have lived and worked in for 40 years, and I intend to remain on City Council for as long as the residents want me there to represent them.