2023 MEET THE CANDIDATES FORUM

Black & Brown Modern Official Fashion Youtube Channel Art (Facebook Event Cover) (2)

Wednesay – October 11, 2023

Doors open at 6:30 | Event is 7:00pm – 9:00pm

Thank you to our Member Business, ARC Industries, for hosting this informative and spectacular evening.

The theme for this event is 'Economic and Business Growth and Development in Grove City'

3705 Marlane Drive, Grove City, OH 43123

GCACC Board Members & Event Moderators

Andrea Ruede from OhioHealth – Mayoral Candidate Discussion Moderator
Brenda Newman – City Council Candidate Discussion Moderator

MAYORAL CANDIDATES

Richard "Ike"Stage

Read About Richard "Ike" Stage

Lifelong resident of Grove City, except for short stint in Ashland, Ohio and Louisiana. Charter member and one of the founders of the Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce, serving as the second President. Also, Charter member and one of the founders of the Grove City Area Community Improvement Corporation. Charter member and one of the founders of the South Western City Schools Educational Foundation. Proud member of The Ohio Commodores. An organization founded by Past Governor James A. Rhodes for the purpose of fostering economic growth in Ohio. Lifelong member and served two terms as President St. John's Lutheran Church. Current board member and Past Chairman of The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. Received the William Anderson award for outstanding board member. Board member of the Franklin County Convention Authority. Secretary/Treasurer of the Central Ohio Mayors and Managers Alliance. Member of the American Legion Post 164 and the Grove City Elks.

Professional Experience:

Retired as an Executive Vice President of the Huntington National Bank having managed over 100 bank branches, 1000 employees and $2.0 Billion in assets. Served on the board of The Sarasota Bank, Sarasota, Florida. Served on the International Advisory Board of VISA International. Have been a guest speaker on retail banking in Sydney, Australia, Brussels, Belgium and Singapore.

Public Service:

Have served on the Grove City Planning Commission, served on City Council two times including being President. Served as Development Director and City Administrator during the Mayoral term of Cheryl Grossman. Serving my fourth consecutive term as Mayor.

Education:

Graduate of Grove City High School. Have completed undergraduate studies at Ashland University and Franklin University. Completed The Graduate School of Retail Banking, University of Virginia and The Graduate School of Commercial Banking University of Wisconsin.

Christine Houk

Read About Christine Houk

Christine Houk is an accomplished financial professional and civic leader. She and her husband have operated an accounting firm in the Town Center of Grove City for 23 years, cultivating countless relationships with businesses in the region. Christine is currently serving her second term on City Council, where she has filled the role of Safety, Finance, and Service chair as well as Council President. She is a member of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, the State Treasurer's Regional Advisory Board, and Treasurer of South-Western City Schools Educational Foundation. Christine has served on several boards including Grove City Town Center Inc., Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce, Visit Grove City, and Grove City Community Club, in addition to many citizen-led committees. She is particularly proud of leading the team who drafted the City’s Action Plan to Promote Mental Health and Prevent Substance Use Disorders, chairing the inaugural Mistletoe Market, and originating the Chamber’s WE:LEAD Business Forum (celebrating 12 years in 2024!).

CITY COUNCIL WARD 2 CANDIDATE

Randy Holt

Read About Randy Holt

Randy is a retired Executive Director at JPMorgan Chase and was part of the Global Technology organization with more than 40,000 employees globally. Randy spent 27 years at Nationwide Insurance working in IT and Claims management and spent two years running operations for a venture capital insurance industry start up. Randy received his MBA from Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio.

Randy’s is best known for his leadership of large organizations and his ability to hire new talent. Each year working with several colleges across the U.S., Randy hires upward of 75 new IT Systems and Engineering graduates.

Randy has developed several global organizations from scratch and most recently created a global cyber team to address today’s cyber threat landscape. Randy was responsible for three infrastructure products for JPMC encompassing all aspects of technical and business issues. Randy directed this $130m global business from the JPMC Polaris location.

Randy was asked by the Mayor, Ike Stage to participate in the Grove City Scholarship Fund project. Randy served on the committee to create the charter and was selected to lead the committee. Randy has assisted with the implementation and distribution of more than 100 scholarships in excess of $250,000 for local residents. Randy was elected to the Grove City Council in the November 2019 election and is running for re-election on the ballot in November 2023.

Over the years Randy has developed his own style of communicating his management and leadership theories. He describes his experiences in small stories and examples that are both entertaining and enlightening.

Randy currently lives in Grove City with his wife Cindy and has two grown children and two granddaughters. In his spare time Randy likes to spend time in Florida, play golf, tennis, and enjoy all of today’s new technologies.

CITY COUNCIL WARD 4 CANDIDATES

Melissa Anderson

Roby Schottke

Read About Melissa Anderson

Melissa Anderson, a dedicated candidate, is seeking the position of Grove City Council representative in Ward 4. Born and raised in Northeast Ohio, Melissa's journey led her to The Ohio State University, where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Communications with a minor in Women's Studies. Her commitment to Grove City spans two decades, as she chose to establish her family and contribute to the community, drawn by its welcoming ambiance and small-town charm.

Melissa, a committed working professional, adeptly balances her career with the responsibilities of motherhood, actively nurturing and guiding her four school-aged children within our vibrant community. She is deeply entrenched in her children's school and sports activities, actively participating and supporting their growth.

With over 22 years of experience in business and agency marketing, as well as operations, Melissa has honed her skills in team leadership, managing substantial budgets, and spearheading intricate, high-profile projects. Her community leadership extends to her invaluable service on nonprofit boards and in executive trustee leadership roles, illustrating her unwavering dedication to the causes she champions. She is currently the Vice President of the Stonewall Board of Trustees and also sits as a Council-appointed member of the Grove City Community Advisory Diversity (DEI) task force.

Beyond her professional and community roles, Melissa is also a successful small business owner, overseeing vacation rental properties. She shares her life with her loving spouse and four children. In her precious leisure moments, she finds solace in the great outdoors, delights in culinary pursuits, engages in fun-filled activities with her children, and enthusiastically supports their sports endeavors. Melissa Anderson is a candidate whose diverse experiences and unwavering commitment make her a strong contender for the Grove City Council, Ward 4.

Read About Roby Schottke

CITY COUNCIL WARD 5 CANDIDATE

Rodney Dew

Read About Rodney Dew

Rod Dew is a 47-year resident of Grove City. He attended Newark High School and Columbus Business University. He worked in the financial field until which time he served our Nation in the United States Army from 1968-1970. Rod was honorably discharged with the rank of Specialist E-5. He completed his education at The Ohio State University graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Major: Finance. Although currently retired, he spent the majority of his professional career as a Real Estate Appraiser. Rod is married to a lifelong Grove Citian, Rosalie, for 46 years. Rod has been active in multiple community service programs such as American Legions, Kiwanis, and Jaycees. Rod has also volunteered his time to charitable organizations such as the Special Olympics.

CITY COUNCIL MEMBER-AT-LARGE CANDIDATES

Jodi Burroughs

Read About Jodi Burroughs

A 30 year resident of Grove City, Jodi Burroughs is one of the partners at Grove City Brewing Company & Plum Run Winery here in the heart of Grove City along with Hocking Hills Canopy Tours in southeast Ohio, providing educational zipline eco-tours, creating fun and memorable experience to visitors across multiple generations within Appalachia Ohio, for the past 15 years.

As an entrepreneur, Jodi is highly regarded as a business leader within the state tourism industry and in the Grove City community, volunteering her time on various local and state boards, along with other local organizations. She is a member of the Ohio Travel Association, the Grove City Area Convention and Visitor Bureau, the Ohio ZipLine Association, the Ohio Appalachian Country board, and one of the original nine members appointed by Governor Kasich to the TourismOhio Advisory Board. She is also a 2011 graduate of the Ohio Tourism Leadership Academy and a Certified Tourism Ambassador here in Central Ohio. Her areas of specialty include sales and marketing, management and operations, contract negotiations, customer service training, strategic planning, and partnership development.

Prior to starting Hocking Hills Canopy Tours, Jodi worked for Vishay Intertechnology Inc., one of the world’s largest manufacturers of electronic components as a Global Distribution Sales Manager, negotiating large military and commercial contracts while managing a $25M sales budget. She has also worked for various information technology companies and as a project engineer in the pulp/paper industry here in Ohio and abroad.

Jodi's educational background includes engineering and business administration which has allowed her the opportunity to travel to many places around the world.

In her free time, Jodi and her husband, Ray, enjoy college football. tennis, concerts, the local food scene, and spending time with other family members and friends in Grove City and their two cats.

Aaron C. Schlabach

Read About Aaron C. Schlabach

Having grown up in Grove City I have seen a lot of changes, and my perspective has given me an eye for creative problem solving. After attending K-12 in South-Western, and attending the career academy for culinary arts, I attended the top culinary school in the world. I have since worked at a world class resort and some of the best restaurants in Franklin County. I have also attended CSCC and OSU while studying economics, which is an academic passion of mine. I am proud to be married to my high school sweetheart of 15 years, an amazing woman who has blessed me with three fantastic children that we are glad to be raising in our hometown. I spent my time during covid working to save the restaurant industry from the mandates that were harming it by building a comprehensive list of every food service establishment in the city with their hours, specials, their website, phone number, everything, that way the people who wanted to support them could more easily find them. I also worked on building a network of micro-food banks around the city to help those in need in a difficult time.