By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The two candidates for the Third Ward City Council seat – Tony Hunter and Rachel Phipps – have different views of local government’s role in the community. Hunter believes the city needs to stick to providing basic core services, while Phipps believes in finding creative solutions that allow the city to do more.
The Third Ward covers the southwest quarter of Bowling Green, and includes the Historic Boomtown area, the older Westgate subdivision and the newer Stone Ridge development.
Both candidates have young children, and would like Bowling Green to be a place where the next generation wants to make their home.
Tony Hunter, a Republican, first came to BGSU to play football, married a “townie” and has grown to love the community. He has worked 10 years in finance at a real estate investment company in Toledo.
He works with the high school ministry at his church, Dayspring, and is director of the Upward flag football program there.
Stick to the basics
Hunter believes that local government should not stray far from its basic core responsibilities. While intentions may be good, it’s results that matter – and trying to do too much can result in not doing what is necessary, he said.
He views the city as its own small business, which should survive on its own means. He questioned the efforts of the current council as possibly overstepping those core responsibilities.
Hunter cautioned that the city must be cautious to not create higher utility rates or adopt ineffective policies in an effort to create too many programs.
“We must be very careful,” he said. “Because if we step out of our role of local government, we could do more damage than good.”
Back to business
Hunter believes it is City Council’s role to provide incentives and create an environment in which businesses can thrive.
Businesses don’t like uncertainty – and it’s up to city government to give them confidence that Bowling Green is a good home.
“These businesses are making long-term investments,” he said.
Sustainability
Hunter views some sustainability efforts of City Council as being possible roadblocks to business.
“That’s a big issue. We have to make sure we don’t scare away businesses.”
The Climate Action Plan being devised by City Council must have a “measured approach.” Some of the goals may involve sustainability efforts that “might not be ready for prime time,” he cautioned.
Rental housing
Hunter opposes the rental housing ordinance recently approved by council. With his background in investments, he knows that such regulations can “really smother local businesses really quickly.”
The rental housing registration and inspection program will be a burden on landlords and city staff, he said.
Even the requirement of self-inspections goes too far, he said.
“We know that’s going to lead to further inspections.”
“We know there are issues” with rental housing in Bowling Green. However, there is no evidence that the program will solve the issue of unsafe rental units. Instead, Hunter is in favor of the city educating tenants about their existing rights.
COVID precautions
Hunter said he would have voted against the mask mandate adopted by City Council in the summer of 2020.
“My position on masks is that they are a personal decision for the individual. I would have voted no on the mask mandate,” he said.
The mask issue was a “very divisive subject,” he said. “I’m trying to do things that bring us together, not divide us.”
Civic duty
“I don’t see myself as a politician,” Hunter said. “We love this community and I want to see it thrive.”
And he wants to make sure Bowling Green is the type of community where younger generations would like to live.
“If you want to make a difference and want to do your civic duty, you need people in the game,” he said.
Hunter has not attended any City Council meetings in person, but has been watching them on YouTube.
“I’m trying to constantly get up to speed on how city government is working.”
Rachel Phipps, a Democrat, is hoping to hold on to her seat as Third Ward representative on City Council. She is an attorney, who has experience working on the city’s charter review, and who now serves as chair of council’s planning, zoning and economic development committee.
She has worked on the city’s historic preservation effort, its climate action plan, and programs that helped businesses get through the pandemic.
Long list of goals
When asked for her goals if re-elected, Phipps easily rattles off her list – zoning update, sustainability, advocating for a bike-friendly city, revitalizing neighborhoods, making downtown even more of a destination, and responding to the needs of new and existing businesses.
She’s got lots of ideas of how the city can use its latest COVID relief funds. “I hope we make smart investments,” she said. “I think we can do so much good with these ARPA funds.”
Phipps doesn’t see City Council as confined to just meeting core services. Those are important – but by using some creativity, the city is capable of doing so much more. For example, Phipps was the driving force behind the building of the downtown parklets, and the generating of private donations to fund them.
Economic development
Phipps is in favor of the city updating its economic development plan that was written in the 1990s.
“We need to think of economic development in broader terms,” she said. “We’ve been successful attracting business to the outskirts of town.” But studies have shown a weakness in attracting growth beyond manufacturing sites.
“I think that it’s important to get everyone on the same page,” she said.
Phipps pointed out the city’s efforts to help keep a vibrant downtown, support locally-owned businesses, and apply a people-first strategy on East Wooster Street. “We should certainly build on those efforts,” she said.
Phipps is looking to the city’s zoning update to make land use plans clearer for economic development.
“We have a really great opportunity to make our zoning align with our city goals,” she said.
Rental housing
Phipps believes that with more than half of the homes in Bowling Green being rental units, the city needs to ensure they are safe. The new ordinance adopted by council would educate tenants of their rights, and ultimately preserve property values in the city.
The city listened to more than 200 tenants, many landlords and citizens before introducing the ordinance, she said.
Phipps believes the rental registration and self-inspection program, beefed up with tenant involvement and verified by city inspections, can make a difference.
“I think it’s a good first step,” she said.
Sustainability
Phipps, who drafted the resolution for the city’s sustainability plan, said “we have so much to be proud of here.”
She recently won support of City Council for the study of a city-operated recycling and food waste compost drop off program in the downtown area. If that works, such a program could be expanded to other businesses and schools, she said.
“It seems like a good size project for us to take on,” she said. “I know the opportunity is bigger than downtown businesses.”
And she is hopeful that the city’s Climate Action Plan will make a difference.
“It’s the responsible forward-looking thing to do,” she said.
Complete Streets
Phipps believes in the Complete Streets concept, which calls on the city to make streets that accommodate motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.
“I’m going to continue to advocate for a more bike and pedestrian friendly city,” she said.
She is hopeful a community-wide plan can help the city determine where bicycle accommodations are needed, and help in securing grant funding for such projects.
COVID precautions
Phipps voted in favor of the city-wide mask mandate in the summer of 2020.
“It was very interesting to join city government during a global pandemic,” she said. “I was very proud to keep our citizens safe and our local businesses open.”
