Meet The Candidate: Damon Wilson, Piqua City Commission - Third Ward
Vol. III, No. 119 - Today we meet a candidate running for City Commission
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Today our “Meet The Candidate” series brings us to Piqua as we meet Damon Wilson. Mr. Wilson is running for the Third Ward seat in the City that is being vacated by Mayor Kris Lee. We have given candidates an opportunity to either answer questions or provide their own statement; Mr. Wilson provided his own statement and it is provided below with no edits.
Meet Damon Wilson
The question which is asked most of any candidate is “Why do you want to run?” I will set that aside for a moment. First, I would like to thank everyone who signed my nominating petition. I met some very nice people. We had excellent conversations, albeit short ones, about the Piqua City Commission. It gave me a real feel for what being a commissioner is like, as many people had different concerns. It also made me realize that this could be an incredible amount of fun to interact with and represent my fellow Piquads.
Having been born and raised in Piqua, graduating from The Piqua Central High School in 1977, with most of my family and a few friends still here, and being a student of Piqua politics for over 50 years, I realized I may be able to serve the community with what I have learned. Except for a brief 20 years where I lived and worked in Chicago, Illinois, and learned a great deal about the ways of the world, I believe that I can focus this knowledge to the benefit of the management of the city of Piqua. Even while I lived in Chicago, I was aware of the goings-on in my hometown. Since returning to Piqua as a full-time resident, I have watched the unfolding of many issues, and as of late, I’ve attended a few Commission meetings, which in my opinion were truly bizarre. The atmosphere is toxic and hostile. It is apparent that there is no leadership in the City Commission. Leaders lead. They make choices, sometimes unpopular ones. I have not witnessed any bold leaders on the City Commission. The Commissioners seem to be disengaged and were virtually a rubber stamp for any business before them. There was no discussion of any of the proposals or agenda items. I think there were some items at these meetings which were probably worth discussing. The City Manager and other city personnel who were presenting agenda items to the commission also seemed to be going through the motions, as if the resolutions were a fait accompli before the Commissioners’ vote. I’m in daily contact with a good number of Piqua people, and when I ask them what they think about the current state of affairs, I rarely hear them say they like what’s going on.
I tend to voice my opinion to these people, and then the last six months, have been encouraged by them to run for City Commission. After thinking it over, I decided I may have something to contribute to the betterment of the City Commission. One of the areas of concern for me is the landscaping and maintenance of the east entrance of town, and in the greater downtown area itself. Why is this so important to me? Because over 50 years ago, I planted the trees which are in the Fifth Third parking lot on the square. My first job at 15 years old was as a landscaper, and it’s the only thing I’ve ever done. I graduated high school, got a two-year degree at Edison State, went to The Ohio State University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Architecture from the Ohio State School of Engineering. From there I ended up practicing in Chicago, Illinois, by way of Wisconsin (one year). The nature of my work in Chicago enabled me to interact with business owners, developers, and entrepreneurs. I have personally interacted with over ten city managers from the various suburban towns, presented projects and testimony to planning commissions, zoning boards, and economic development people. These experiences, I believe, have prepared me to serve on the Piqua City Commission. Even though landscaping may be my first love, I also understand budgeting, project management, personnel matters, and all the other types of issues which come before the commission. I very much look forward to lively debates about these issues with my fellow commissioners.
I would also hope to engage as many community members as possible in these debates as well. I would love to see our City Commission meetings be well attended with vigorous debates and equitable resolutions for each of them.
In an effort to engage more people, I hope to make the operation of the City of Piqua as transparent as possible. The three legs of my platform are transparency, accountability, and responsibility. Transparency is being open and honest about all city business, such that we will never find ourselves in the situations that have precipitated in the last five years. Accountability means listening to the constituents and carrying out their wishes. Responsibility means owning the results of any actions that I might take as a commissioner, whether they turn out good or bad.
If you have questions or want further information, contact me at wilsonwdw@aol.com. I will be hosting a town hall-type meeting at North Star Coffee Station, 655 North Main St. On October 9th at 6pm. Everyone is welcome.
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