ROY GORDON
Age: 44
Family: Two brothers, two sisters; and his mother
Employment/Profession: Carpentry, Maintenance
Education: Franklin High School graduate 1989; working on a business degree at Cincinnati State Middletown Campus
Prior elected offices: None
STEVE BOHANNON
Age: 56
Family: Married, three children
Employment/Profession: Owner, Bohannon Roofing Company, Inc.
Education: Northmont High School, 1977; Sinclair Community College, 1981, associate's degree in civil engineering
Prior elected offices: None
ANITA SCOTT JONES
Age: 52
Family: Married; two grown step-sons in Alabama
Employment/Profession: Hospital relations manager at Atrium Medical Center; adjunct professor at Cincinnati State Community College.
Education: Completing a doctorate in educational leadership; received a master's degree in business administration; completed 2 1/2-years of law school; and a bachelor's degree in 1987.
Prior elected offices: Completing her second four-year term on Middletown City Council
TALBOTT MOON
Age: 34
Family: Married
Employment/Profession: Agency partner/Owner, Moon & Adrion Insurance Agency
Education: Middletown High School, 2000; Miami University, 2004, bachelor's degree in political science.
Prior elected offices: None
All four candidates for Middletown City Council have identified streets and economic development/job creation as the top issues facing the city in the next few years.
On Nov. 3, two seats are up for grabs on the five-member council. The only incumbent, Councilwoman Anita Scott Jones, is seeking her third four-year term, while newcomers Steve Bohannon, Talbott Moon and Roy Gordon are seeking their first terms.
Anita Scott Jones
Jones, 52, who has served as vice mayor during her tenure, said she attended every City Council meeting as a citizen for six months before running for a council seat.
“I decided to get involved, not to complain about the city, but try to be a positive conduit for the city,” she said. “I ran for City Council and received enough votes to get elected twice. I have assisted hundreds of citizens over the years, and I would like the opportunity to do so again.”
As for the issues facing the city, Jones said Middletown is facing many of the same issues other cities in the region and across the state are, including finding the funds to maintain services for residents.
“Middletown City Council members who have been on council for the past seven or eight years have weathered the worst economic storms,” she said. “The challenges we face like most other governments are improving the infrastructure, opportunities for decent paying jobs, and continued economic development.”
Jones, who is very active with many organizations throughout the community, is currently a board member with the Butler County Regional Transit Authority; an executive committee of the Warren County Municipal League; and an action committee member with the Middletown Area United Way.
Steve Bohannon
Bohannon, 56, said the reason he’s running is to give something back to the city.
“This city has helped me raise and educate my children, start and run a successful business and allowed me to live the American dream,” he said. “It’s time to give back.”
Bohannon said the city needs to bring new businesses to town that will pay a middle-class wage; strengthen the manpower of the city’s public safety forces without raising taxes; and improve the city’s infrastructure through state and federal grants and from new taxes generated through new job creation.
He said his years in business have taught him how to communicate and listen to people, how to operate within a budget, expanding his business through advertising and “beating the bushes” to grow his business from the ground up.
“This city has been in a free-fall for the last 10 years, if not more, and it needs to turn around,” he said. “I feel with the experience I have gained over the last 25 years in business, I would be a good asset to the City Council.”
Bohannon is the past chairman of the Middletown Cemetery Board and is the chairman of the Middletown Real Estate Investors Group representing the city’s landlords. He is also a board member of the Middletown Safety Commission and the Rotary Club.
Roy Gordon
Gordon, 44, said he is running to help everyone in Middletown. He said city politics needs to be changed and that he wants to bring a better voice to the community and fight for people that need help.
He said council needs to be more transparent and concise in what they are doing. Gordon said council members need to be approachable and reachable. They also need to ask the questions people want answers to, he said.
“I am a 35-year resident of the city,” Gordon said. “I have 10 years total of volunteer work of giving back to my community and have voted in almost every election for 15 years. My commitment is to give back more to my community than I receive.”
Gordon said the top three challenges facing Middletown include deteriorating infrastructure, the heroin problem, and the city’s finances.
He said council needs to prioritize and find the money to fix the city’s streets and repair its parks. Gordon said too much money is being spent building new roads and not enough of the city’s budget is being spent on old roads.
On the heroin problem, Gordon said council needs to educate, treat and stop the influx of heroin into the city. He suggests increasing police and fire department staffing to above minimum levels, enforce current laws and find treatment for people.
He said the city needs to plan ahead and look for future fiscal impacts and find other solutions and revenue sources. He said the city needs to bring in companies without costing taxpayers money and stop spending money it doesn’t have
Gordon has been active in the community as a volunteer with Keep Middletown Beautiful for the past eight years and with voter registration efforts for the past two years.
Talbott Moon
Moon, 34, said he is running for a council seat because of a desire to make Middletown a more successful community, a great place to live, work and raise a family.
“We have a strong city with much to be proud of, but times are hard for many Middletonians and changes are needed to recapture some of our past prosperity,” Moon said.
He said Middletown is at a “crucial moment” in its history as it faces critical issues such as poor roads and other aging infrastructure, subsidized housing and economic development while it is supporting core city services.
“Things can be better, but only if we change how we operate,” Moon said. “Residents have grown frustrated and ready for a fresh perspective. My life-long love for Middletown, my business experience, and sound judgment have equipped me to help make the needed improvements.”
A life-long resident, Moon said he’s watched multiple generations of his family live and successfully build their business in Middletown, and he understands what changes are needed to make the city an attractive place to locate a business and create a “community first” atmosphere. He said his background not only allows him to understand the challenges facing the city, but to solve them.
Moon has been active in the community as a board member and chairing committees of The Chamber of Commerce Serving Middletown, Monroe and Trenton; as a volunteer leader and committee member at the Oaks Community Church; and as committee member with The Business Alliance.
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