Kate Baker
Education: Bachelor’s of science in organizational leadership with a minor in economics
Current Employment: Full time
Community Involvement: First Suburbs Dayton
Why are you seeking elected office? March of 2020, I had the opportunity to fill the vacancy of the Ward 3 council seat. While I have always followed politics, I was happy to take a more active role in serving my city and community. Since joining council, I have worked with multiple boards, committees and commissions to make Huber Height a better city for our residents. My service to Huber Heights as the Ward 3 councilwoman has been an honor and a privilege.
Why should voters elect you? I should be elected to the Huber Heights City Council Ward 3 seat to continue to serve the residents as I have since March of 2020. In that time, I have and will continue to work closely and collaboratively with the city’s staff, mayor and council to continue the economic growth that the city has gained in the last several years. At the same time, I will continue to champion for the residents of Ward 3 to make sure their needs and wants are not overlooked in this growth. That is why I will continue to support the improvements to our infrastructure, traffic management and diversity during this growth. This is why I need the votes of the Ward 3 residents on Nov. 2. Please vote for me.
If elected, what will be your top three priorities? Infrastructure, traffic management and diversity while Huber Heights continues to grow.
What specific plans do you have to address those top priorities? One of the most pressing issues facing the city of Huber Heights and Ward 3 are the rebuilding our infrastructure and traffic management. While on council, I have voted to replace/update our older water lines and update our water treatment plant. We are currently working on solutions to make things more affordable and operate smoother for our citizens. As Huber Heights grows and more homes are built and more business relocate to Huber, our traffic plan will also need to grow with a thoughtful design that moves traffic effectively and will be viable in the future as the city grows. I have also worked to support diversity in Huber Heights by voting for the creation of the Huber Heights Culture and Diversity Citizen Action Commission. Earlier this year, I collaborated with the mayor, council and the Culture and Diversity Citizen Action Commission to draft a proposal denouncing racism in our community. I am proud to say that on April 1, 2021, I voted with most of the rest of council to approve this resolution. I will continue this work.
Anything else? I, Kate (Small) Baker, have been a lifelong community member of Huber Heights. I am proud to say that I graduated from Wayne High School. I went on to Sinclair Community College and earned an Associate’s degree in financial management. I continued my education at Wright State University, earning a Bachelor’s of science in organizational leadership with a minor in economics. I work full time and I am a single mother. My daughter is currently attending the University of Cincinnati.
Frank Wylie
Education: Master’s
Current Employment: Full time, addiction counseling
Community Involvement: Huber Heights Athletic Foundation (executive board), NAADC member, advisory board member for the Miracle Clubhouse
Why are you seeking elected office? I am seeking election now because I believe that in order to obtain the change you want to see you have to get involved. I promised in my interview for appointment that if appointed I would run and even though I was not appointed I feel strongly about change in how Huber Heights conducts city business.
Why should voters elect you? I want to be a voice for my neighbors on council and be responsive to questions and concerns. I want Huber Heights to continue to grow responsibly and be good neighbors. I will advocate strongly for ensuring development is done properly. I will help the city be responsible stewards of the millions of dollars entrusted by the taxpayers and the various pandemic relief grants we have been given as we now have a reported surplus. I am in support of continual improvement of our infrastructure including water mains, sewer lines, streets and sidewalks, and will advocate for more monetary investment in these areas so that we can support our current and future resident populations better. I will advocate for more resident input in any aggregate of “city wide” utility discussions. I want to see a walkable, greenspace, small business/restaurant/bar/entertainment D.O.R.A. development, multiuse buildings and centralized government buildings at the old Marian Meadows/Brandt Pike Revitalization project. I want to see the Brandt Pike Revitalization project follow what the citizens want. I am a small town born and bred enthusiast. Integrity is critical to me. I was raised that your word is your bond, there’s value to hard work, you take care of your family and your neighbors, and you stand for what you believe. Just because you can does not mean you should, and doing what’s right is not always popular. It’s just right. You should be able to defend decisions made openly and publicly.
If elected, what will be your top three priorities? Infrastructure support, responsible growth/development, and improving communication with and receiving feedback from the citizens.
What specific plans do you have to address those top priorities? I will push and vote for more monetary and resource support to improve the aging water lines and sewer/storm sewer systems. I will encourage more involvement of the citizens in any citywide/aggregate utility discussions because that is who will be effected first and longest. I will push for reduction of granting no bid contracts and encourage sealed bids to allow for less chance of impropriety or impression of favoritism in awarding contracts. I will encourage more town hall discussions regarding development of any city owned properties and ask harder questions of private developers to ensure they are community impact focused. I want to work with council to revise the citizen input in meetings to have a citizen questions option and not just comments so that residents can really get answers publicly when they need/want them instead of privately emailing a ward rep/mayor/city staff only. I am for true transparency in government as we represent and are accountable to our neighbors.
Anything else? I decided to run because I am not satisfied with how things are currently being done, and I’m willing to put myself out there to attempt to effect change for the better in my opinion. I’m hopeful on Nov. 2 that my neighbors agree and give me a chance to prove that it can be different, it can be better, and that they have a true representative of their wishes. Register to vote and come out on Nov. 2 and make your voices heard. Ward 3 please vote Wylie for Ward 3.