ASHLAND — Two new faces could appear on the City of Ashland’s council come January.
Ward 2 Councilman Bob Valentine chose not to run for re-election, paving the way for a race between Jason Chio and Heather Sample.
Ward 3 Councilman Dennis Miller will run for re-election, but his seat is being challenged by Emily Huestis.
Ashland City Council is a nonpartisan council, meaning candidates are not elected under a certain party affiliation, said Shannon Johnson, director of the Ashland County Board of Elections. It also means each candidate’s petitions can receive signatures from members of any political affiliation. Each candidate will appear as nonpartisan on the ballot.
Their party affiliations are noted in this story for voter information and are according to current Ashland County Board of Elections records.
Each candidate received a questionnaire on Oct. 6 and given until Oct. 18 to respond by email. See below to see how each responded to questions. The attached document shows candidates’ full responses to the questions.
Ward 2
Jason Chio
Age: 48
Occupation: Safety Director at Simonson Construction Services
Education: Associates degree, Construction Tech, OSU ATI
Political experience: Jeromesville Village Councilman, Hillsdale Board of Education (six years), ACWHCC Board of Education (seven years, current)
Endorsements: Ashland Board of Realtors
Chio and his wife moved to the city of Ashland three years ago and “instantly fell in love with all the city had to offer.” The couple had lived in Ashland County prior to moving to the city.
Chio, a registered Republican, believes his experience in the construction industry will be an asset to council as the city experiences growth.
When asked what the city’s greatest challenge is in the next four years, he said infrastructure “will need to be continually addressed going forward,” despite the recent boon in development around the city.
He said securing housing for all the new people moving to Ashland because of that growth is the next challenge.
“We need to provide an environment with many housing options, great schools and entertainment options for all age groups,” he said.
He remembers the time as a newly elected board member on Hillsdale’s board of education as a time when he worked to bring people from different backgrounds together to solve a common problem.
“The school had been placed in fiscal caution by the State of Ohio,” Chio said. “The majority of the board had been elected for the first time and the superintendent had been in his position for roughly a year.”
He said the board and administration worked “tirelessly” to get the district back on solid financial footing.
One of the issues brought up by voters during Ashland Source’s Talk the Vote events was the need for better transparency and accessibility by council members. Chio said he would be available to residents by email, text and phone.
“I want to hear from them,” he said. “A huge part of this position is building relationships and the more relationships you build the more you understand others’ views.”
Heather Sample
Age: 43
Occupation: Paralegal for a domestic relations and criminal defense attorney
Education: Associates degree, Applied Business Paralegal Studies
Political experience: None
Endorsements: None
Sample, an Ashland native, said she is interested in serving on the Ward 2 seat because she wants to bring back a sense of the “old Ashland.”
“Growing up in Ashland, I felt it was a great place to live, people knew each other, and they looked out for one another. You knew the policeman by name and you trusted them to serve and protect,” she said.
She said the city’s booming downtown, beautiful parks, golf course and the small town feel are all assets to Ashland.
Some of the challenges she hopes to focus on are adding sidewalks to areas that don’t have them and helping people feel safer when crossing roads. She also wants to improve on parking in Downtown.
Sample, a registered Democrat, said she has experience bringing people from different backgrounds together to solve a common problem.
She said she was part of a team of people who helped a deaf man and police resolve a tense situation during a protest demonstration. She also remembered distracting a girl who could not speak English at Walt Disney World, where she worked at the time, as emergency personnel intervened on the girl’s mother.
“I was able to take the little girl to the arcade and entertain her while emergency personnel worked to make her mommy okay. Once emergency personnel were done, the child was reunited with her mom,” Sample said.
She said her plan to increase transparency and accessibility is to hold an event every six months.
“Because I believe that to adequately represent the citizens of our city, we need to know what their comments, questions and concerns are. If we start talking to one another, and, more importantly, listening to one another, that will make us able to work better together for the needs of all Ashlanders,” she said.
Ward 3
Emily Huestis
Age: 41
Occupation: Executive Director, Ashland Center for Nonviolence at Ashland University. Consultant, Southeast Ohio HIV/HCV Partnership.
Education: BA, Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Master’s of Public Health, University of South Florida.
Political experience: None
Endorsements: None. See supporters here.
Political newcomer Huestis said the city is in a great position to address its needs — and desires.
“Discussions about sewers, and (toilet paper) floating in basements, are sometimes unpleasant, but we’ve got to have them,” she said, adding the city is in a position to pursue grants for revitalization while also coming together to find a solution.
Besides focusing on infrastructure needs for the city, Huestis said she would focus on including voters in decisions on ordinances.
“We should be deeply concerned that over the past few years, most Ashland City Council decisions have been voted on with zero taxpayer input,” she said. “Let’s make citizen engagement and conversations with voters not just a thing for election season but something every Ashlander can expect from their local elected officials, year-round.”
Huestis, a registered Democrat, said she established plans for regular, alternating office hours at noon and in the evening for Ward 3 voters to meet with her.
“This is not rocket science. Candidates or elected officials just need to listen to people, and keep the people informed,” she said. “Every council member is obliged to do all they can to keep open the doors to City Hall.”
When asked about a time she brought people from differing background together to solve a common problem, she mentioned her time volunteering as a court appointed special advocate for Ashland children in foster care.
“CASAs help parents gain the skills they need and personal healing so they can show the court the hurdles they’ve overcome to provide a stable, loving home for their children and be reunited with their little ones,” she said.
Dennis Miller
Age: 66
Occupation: Vice President, Market Manager for Sutton Bank in Ashland
Education: BS in Industrial Management, Minor, Accounting from Akron University (1979). Completed three-course from the Graduate School of Banking (1995).
Political experience: Serving in fourth year of first term on Ashland City Council
Endorsements: Ashland Board of Realtors, State Rep. Darrell Kick, Sheriff Wayne Risner, The Republican Coalition
Miller, a registered Republican who has lived and worked in Ashland since 2003, said he wants to continue the progress council is making for the City of Ashland. Miller is an incumbent in this election.
“We have successfully cleaned up many of the vacant, abandoned properties in our city, encouraged developers to invest in new housing in our neighborhoods, and even paved a record number of streets,” he said.
When asked about the city’s greatest asset, Miller noted the city’s moniker: The World Headquarters of Nice People.” But he said Ashland still faces the challenge of improving infrastructure — mainly, the city’s aging water and sewer lines.
As a banker in his 46th year, Miller said he works with people from all walks of life “to realize their financial goals.”
“I serve all of the citizens of Ashland, regardless of their background, and I am grateful for the opportunity to do so,” he said, adding he has a reputation of quickly addressing residents’ concerns and that he has made “many visits to individual constituent’s homes to assist them with their issues.”
He said his experience in the banking world makes his presence on council an asset, as he can be an extra set of eyes on the city’s finances.
