There are seven candidates running for four seats on Upper Arlington City Council. Pencilstorm asked each of the candidates five specific questions centered around issues that impacted Upper Arlington residents and questions that were being raised by fellow voters. Pencilstorm will be posting their complete and unedited answers individually throughout September and reposting all their answers together before the election. School Board candidates will appear in October. Answers will be posted in order they're received. Our fifth candidate, Stacy McIntire, is featured below.
Stacy McIntire, Upper Arlington City Council Candidate
Stacy McIntire
www.mcintireforua.com
What makes you qualified to have oversight of the $72 million city budget?
My education was anchored in business management. I studied Entrepreneurship, Marketing, and General Business, graduating from Miami University and earning my MBA from Xavier University. I spent nearly 20 years working with Fortune 500 companies and large healthcare systems to optimize performance within those organizations (including Deloitte Consulting, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cardinal Health, as well as many client organizations). I have been responsible for evaluating budgets, financially managing multi-million dollar projects, and spearheading efforts to optimize corporate efficiency by asking critical questions. Throughout my career, I have worked to understand key drivers, customer experience and related data to make recommendations to drive cost savings while keeping the organization’s vision and strategy on track. These professional experiences uniquely position me to take a thoughtful, thorough and constructive approach to the city budget as a member of City Council.
What steps do we need to take so that the new community center is the best it can be for all Upper Arlington citizens?
The citizens of Upper Arlington voted to approve the construction of a community center. City Council selected MSA Sport as a design firm due to their community engagement approach. As a member of City Council, I will ensure our residents have multiple opportunities to provide input throughout the design and build process. With my background in customer experience, I understand the importance of meaningful and collaborative engagement. I commit to continuing our existing communication efforts (mailings, social media updates, open meetings, etc.) while exploring new efforts to connect with residents where they are - in our libraries, in our parks, and at community places and events. I will prioritize the key needs and desires of our residents while balancing the fiscal expectations set forth by the Community Center Feasibility Task Force.
Much work has been done over the past two decades to improve the financial well-being of our city. What are the next steps we need to take for our parks and pools as we continually improve?
My two children, my husband, and I spend a lot of time in our city parks, and we know the parks are vital to community building as well as the quality of the community. As I talk with residents, I have consistently heard that residents want parks, fields, trails, and paths to be usable and well-maintained. Residents want improved weed control and mowing and are concerned about drainage at some of our parks. I will work to understand our needs and our city’s capabilities to address these issues efficiently. I also believe we have an opportunity to look at sustainability and preservation efforts within our parks. With recent structural updates and improvements to our three pools, we should focus on maintaining our pool systems while seeking resident feedback as to how the pools and recreational programming can be improved.
Central Ohio is the fastest growing area in the state and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission projects we’ll have 3 million residents by the year 2050. What are two things Upper Arlington needs to do to maintain its position as one of the best places to live in Central Ohio?
Upper Arlington needs a clear vision for the future and to do so we need an updated plan for the City. The growth we have experienced, and that Central Ohio will experience, requires a thoughtful and resident-driven plan to ensure we determine how we experience the expected growth. The Master Plan was developed in 2001 and updated most recently in 2013. I will work to gather resident input in order to develop a plan that clearly guides priorities and decisions around development, growth, and infrastructure, and financial stability.
I want to ensure Upper Arlington is a welcoming community where all voices are heard. I believe governing this community will most effectively be done by listening to all residents to understand their needs and perspectives by asking the right questions and making the best decisions so anyone who lives, works, or visits Upper Arlington feels welcome.
Our chances of maintaining UA as ‘one of the best places to live’ would be improved by strengthening zoning regulations and making it more difficult to grant zoning variances. This should be undertaken with extended involvement with residents directly affected by new buildings and road modifications.
Here’s a fun question. We’re all musicians here at Pencilstorm and are excited about the return to live music. What band or performer are you most excited about seeing live again?
Oh, have I missed live music! My first taste back to live music was as General Chair of the 4th of July Committee this year with the band Conspiracy. Did they knock it out of the park (literally)! It was a perfect evening with live music celebrating Independence Day, our rich Arlington traditions under some spectacular fireworks.
But after a year and a half of canceled concerts and refunded tickets, I would see just about any concert. It would be an honest tie between Bruno Mars or Chris Stapleton. Bruno Mars because he is an incredible entertainer with so much energy and Chris Stapleton to hear his voice and the stories he tells through his songs. We can’t wait to get back!
Pencilstorm would like to thank Stacy McIntire for taking the time to answer our questions. Learn more about Stacy at her website: www.mcintireforua.com. Look for responses from future candidates in the coming days. Pencilstorm is an independent news source and does not endorse any individual candidate.
Local UA Politics coverage provided by Wal Ozello. You can email him at Pencilstormstory@gmail.com or try to catch him at Colin's Coffee.
Check out coverage of all the candidates we've received responses from by clicking here.