This story has been corrected to reflect that Eric Cutlip will not appear on the May primary ballot. In a primary election when there is no contest, candidates advance directly to the general election.
SHELBY — A quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin appears at the end of every email sent by Eric Cutlip.
The quote reads, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
By this philosophy, Cutlip hopes to learn everything he can about local government in Shelby by involving himself in Shelby City Council. He is running to represent the city’s third ward.
So far, the odds of success are in Cutlip’s favor: His is the only name that will appear on the ballot in November. Only one other candidate pulled a petition to run, but did not file by the deadline, and will not appear on the ballot.
It will be the first time in 16 years the third ward will have a new face representing it on council. Longtime councilman Garland Gates will retire at the end of 2023 after spending four terms as councilman-at-large, eight terms representing the third ward, and serving as Shelby’s mayor from 1982-1988.
Longtime Shelby councilman Garland Gates reflects on 30 years of public service
Fortunately, Cutlip has a close ally in Gates to seek any advice in holding his first seat in elected office. The two have been neighbors since Cutlip and his wife moved to Shelby 15 years ago.
“It’s something I’ve considered doing for a while, but I was never going to run against Garland,” Cutlip said. “He does a wonderful job, I respect him greatly, and I just figured he would be in office for a long time to come.”
Once Cutlip got over the shock of Gates’ retirement announcement, he had only a short time to file a petition to run. After some initial trepidation, ultimately he decided there was no better time than the present.
But while this may be Cutlip’s first time running for an elected office, it’s not his first experience with local government. He has volunteered on Shelby’s planning commission and shade tree commission since 2021.
He is also familiar with other members of council outside of their official duties. As the vehicle maintenance supervisor for Shelby City Schools, he works alongside Derrin Roberts in grounds maintenance and Charlie Roub as a substitute bus driver.
“I feel like I’m comfortable with everybody and I can just kind of step in and things will flow nicely,” Cutlip said. “I already have a good working relationship with them, so I think it should be a very smooth transition.
“Now if I can just get through this whole Roberts Rules of Order thing,” he added with a laugh.
Cutlip said working for the school has familiarized him with working with a budget and being fiscally responsible with taxpayer dollars. He also prides himself on maintaining a high level of safety for students’ transportation — one of them being his daughter, a Shelby seventh grader.
“I basically handle everything that has wheels; I make sure that everything’s maintained and running well,” Cutlip said.
“We have state inspections twice a year, and the state highway patrol puts the buses on a pretty high pedestal, it’s a rigorous inspection and it’s not easy to pass,” he said. “You have to really be on your game.”
Outside of work, Cutlip enjoys the outdoors. He and his wife recently purchased land behind his house to turn into a pollinator field. He frequently goes hunting and fishing, and hiking is a favorite pastime — he was married at Hocking Hills.
Cutlip’s joy of being surrounded by trees is something he hopes to bring to council.
“There’s actually a term called ‘tree bathing,’ and it’s a psychological thing that when you’re in the woods, it has this calming effect on people,” Cutlip said. “They’ve actually done studies where when you are in cities that have lots of trees, there’s less crime, less pollution, just a better atmosphere where people are happier.
“I’ve worked a lot with researching different things, and I see what other communities are doing and how their treescapes look, and I want to mimic that,” he said. “I want to drive down State Route 39 and see all these beautiful, mature trees on the sides of the roads.”
Growing up, Cutlip attended Ontario Local Schools until his mother lost her job at the GM plant, and the family moved to Florida. He studied auto mechanics at a vocational school, and later graduated from Nashville Auto Diesel College in Tennessee.
Cutlip worked with Caterpillar Inc. in Kentucky before moving back to Shelby, craving a small-town atmosphere. He believes the city’s greatest strength lies in its citizens.
“I love that there’s a little buzz in the air with Shelby right now,” he said. “We’ve got great new schools, we’ve got beautiful downtown happenings going on right now. You’ve got the CIC that’s doing some really wonderful stuff right now, and once I get into council, I will support everything they doing, I love it all.
“It really makes people appreciate things, too — when they see that stuff building, it makes them want to make their stuff look nicer, too,” he said. “It just kind of radiates when you have that going on, and I would love to build upon that.”
One major challenge Cutlip believes the city faces now is blight. He plans on working with the zoning inspector and other members of council to find innovative solutions. He also recognizes the challenges that come with assessments, and other unpopular decisions that members of council sometimes must make.
That’s one thing he plans on asking his neighbor and predecessor: Wisdom when encountering angry people in the community that might come to him with grievances.
“That conversation is coming,” Cutlip said with a laugh. “Probably sooner rather than later.”
For Cutlip, ultimately the benefits of being on council outweigh the sacrifices. He looks forward to writing legislation that leads to meaningful change for the citizens of Shelby.
“If I could sponsor something that I feel real passionate about and I felt like would do a lot of good for the city, that would make it all worth it,” he said.
