LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Tag: loveland ohio

  • First Impressions and Fresh Perspectives: Eileen Washburn

    First Impressions and Fresh Perspectives: Eileen Washburn

    By Patrick Edmunds

    “First impressions may be lasting.”  That was the phrase that Mrs. Erickson, my seventh grade English teacher, calmly used to greet her students on a first day of school more than 25 years ago.  It was her cerebral attempt to control a classroom of rambunctious pre-teens, not through threats or punishment, but by suggesting that the way we carry ourselves matters—and that we only get one shot to project a first impression onto others—others who will use it as a glimpse into our true character. While that profound wisdom was largely lost on me at the time, it has stuck with me and proven true in the many years since. But the reflection to follow is not about Mrs. Erickson. It is, however, about another English teacher:  Eileen Washburn—incumbent candidate for the Loveland Board of Education.

    Before proceeding, I must admit that the apparent irony of sharing a “first” impression of someone who is already well known by this community is not lost on me. As the only candidate on the November 2nd ballot who will soon have fulfilled a full term of service on this board, Eileen has already been tested. Loveland voters have had four years to get to know her; four years to see her in action. But bear with me.

    It’s not Eileen who’s new to the scene. It’s me. 

    Having lived in this district for what feels like five minutes (5 months to be precise), I have come to realize the “sticky” nature of this city. Residents love it here. They are from here, and they stay here. Everyone seems to know everyone. To be clear, I love this about Loveland, and I hope this describes my relationship with this community one day.

    But for now, I’m still unpacking boxes and figuring it all out. Given the timing of my arrival in Loveland with the impending election, my lens (and conscience) is clear. My perspective is still fresh and unclouded. I see this as a unique strength in assessing the current pool of candidates.

    My family and I moved into the district knowing virtually no one in the Loveland community. We have no family here. We have no political connections here. We have no “levy baggage.” For that I am grateful. There is so much I don’t know yet about this district. But for the sake of this discussion, let me share what I do know.

    I know that this school district was a primary reason my family chose Loveland as our new home.

    I also know that we moved amid a global pandemic and a period of social and political discord unmatched in our nation’s recent history. We are dealing with hard stuff that will fill history books in years to follow. Despite this, we came here still full of hope. We believed that in Loveland, we could give our kids the absolute best opportunity for a premier public education and a bright future. 

    Sadly, however, our optimism about Loveland Schools was immediately tested upon our arrival. The strife that greeted us was palpable. The wounds (on both sides) of failed levies were still being licked. The rhetoric was intense, and at times hateful. People who had been friends for 20 years were suddenly no longer speaking. And, people and events that were totally unfamiliar to my family just a few weeks prior were suddenly the only topics anyone we met wanted to discuss; these were seemingly the only things that mattered anymore. The crescendo for us was witnessing the police (yes, the police) respond to help calm the angry crowd at the very first School Board meeting we attended.

    In those first few meetings I witnessed screaming. I heard accusations; I heard threats of litigation. I saw a physician flagrantly vote against masks in schools for our youngest students who are still vaccine ineligible. Where did we move, and what is going on here?  Our “welcome” to Loveland was not a first impression that I wanted to last.

    So, now back to things I do know and have recognized (it’s not all doom and gloom) as an unencumbered newcomer. First, I know we can still have hope. Second, that hope lies in Eileen Washburn.

    I have come to know Eileen over the past few months, and who I’ve met is someone who is thoughtful, calm, and measured.  When Eileen speaks, I hear a clear voice of reason that surmounts the noise around her. I hear commonsense policymaking, not political pandering. We need this now more than ever. 

    I know that it can be lonely at the top. Yet, I have seen Eileen bravely break away from the comfort and protection of the crowd, if and when it is in the best interest of the district’s students, families, and staff to do so. Eileen’s morals are unwavering, and her judgment is sound. In decision-making, Eileen chooses what’s right over what’s easy. Her work ethic is unparalleled. 

    I know that Eileen cares. As a parent of district students, she has a personal family stake in the success of our schools. As a teacher, herself (in a neighboring district), dedication to students is in her blood. Eileen is the teacher who will stay after school to support a student who is nervous about trying out for the basketball team (true story!). She’s also the kind of person who would never brag about that.

    In closing, I want to be clear that I am not writing in support of Eileen because I am her neighbor, long-time friend, or family member. I am not writing this because she asked me to. I volunteered. I sought her out because I was impressed with what I saw in her. I am writing this because Eileen showed up for my family when we needed a leader on the board. I know that in her next term, Eileen will continue to advocate for the physical, mental, and emotional health and safety of my kids, and for their long term scholastic success—just like she has already done during our short time here. I also know that she’ll advocate for your kids too…whether you vote for her or not. She just can’t help it; it’s who she is. 

    And that’s my first impression of Eileen Washburn—one that will last a lifetime.

    Patrick Edmunds is a resident of Symmes Township

  • Compassionate students help feed other children through reading at the Loveland Elementary School

    Compassionate students help feed other children through reading at the Loveland Elementary School

    by David Miller

    Loveland, Ohio – Loveland Elementary School (LES) is doing its November Compassion Project “Read to Feed”. The students will be collecting monetary donations for the LIFE Food Pantry based on the amount that they read, “a win/win for the kids AND the pantry!”

    The pantry leaders say that literacy and education are a huge factors in escaping poverty and these students are “amazing”.

    The pantry also asks that if you have a student at LES, “Please support their efforts. If you don’t, please seek one out and let them know they make a huge difference in the lives of their community, especially other children! Thank you for your support – these children are our future.”

  • [VIDEO] Kim Lukens on Grailville Annexation

    [VIDEO] Kim Lukens on Grailville Annexation

    by David Miller

    Loveland, Ohio – Loveland resident and candidate for Loveland City Council, Kim Lukens went to the open forum podium this past Tuesday to express her views about the City annexing the Grailville property.

    The Grailville annexation involves 95 acres on O’Bannon Road just outside of Loveland.

  • Loveland, Reelect Tim Butler

    Loveland, Reelect Tim Butler

    Jack Butler (Provided Photo)

    By Jack Butler

    Loveland is a lovely place: great businesses, schools, and neighborhoods; a thriving downtown and endlessly entertaining bike trail; and, above all, its wonderful people, who help make the place truly special.

    For 32 years, Tim Butler, my father, has been one of these people. He raised my four siblings and me in Loveland. Because the city has given him so much, he has tried to give back. He’s been, among other things, a parent, a coach, a local business owner, and, for the past four years, a member of Loveland’s city council. 

    He has taken his role on council seriously, knowing he serves the people of Loveland. He carefully studies the issues before Loveland city council, making sure he has a full understanding of them before voting. He also tries to ensure that the city council has all the relevant information on the issues of greatest importance to Loveland. And he seeks input from city residents, who entrusted him with his position.

    He has agreed with his fellow council members on many of these issues. Sometimes, however, they have disagreed with him, leaving him in the minority on important votes. The most important of these involve the ongoing debate over the possible construction of a parking garage in the middle of Loveland’s downtown area. Tim has taken a position against this garage, citing its projected costs, its effects on downtown Loveland’s traffic and pedestrian flows, and the unlikelihood of its being consistently used to full capacity. He has proposed alternatives, such as making fuller use of other available parking in the area that often goes unfilled, and considering shuttle services. He has done all of this in good faith, trying to present his views honestly to his fellow council members.

    Yet for his opposition to the proposed garage, Tim has been consistently sidelined by council. Members have engaged in procedural trickery to prevent him from starting the kind of discussion about the project that would be appropriate for one of the largest such efforts in the city’s history. And now, it seems like some members of council want him gone. In the current Loveland city council election campaign, two incumbent members and two new candidates are openly collaborating, all with the backing of the mayor, and with the implicit goal of knocking my father out of his position. This is unfortunate. A council without Tim Butler would almost certainly think about and discuss important votes less before actually taking them, to the likely detriment of Loveland’s future. 

    My father is not some reflexive contrarian. He will vote with other members when he considers them in the right, and has done so many times. But when his study of the issues leads him to a different position, he won’t go along to get along. That’s just not who he is. 

    So who is Tim Butler? He’s the kind of person the people of Loveland should want to remain their representative on city council. He will consider their interests, ask tough questions, and push for the kinds of discussions that will be necessary for Loveland to chart a successful course. In my father’s four years on council, he has put the people of Loveland first. He’s in it for them, and always will be. I’ve never known him to be anything else. 

    Jack Butler, is a graduate of St. Xavier High School (’11), and is from Loveland.

  • A response to candidate Kevin Daugherty’s “Qualifications For Becoming A Board Member”

    A response to candidate Kevin Daugherty’s “Qualifications For Becoming A Board Member”

    by Lesley Hodge

    Kevin Dougherty, Loveland Board of Education Vice-President, posted a short video on his campaign website entitled “Thinking Through How To Choose – A Different Approach”.  In it, he identifies the qualities that matter for Board membership as leadership, preparedness, motivation, commitment, and the ability to listen and learn. I agree with all of that – although I question how prepared anyone can be, or ever has been, for stepping into a Board role for the first time.  

    He goes on to say that “what a candidate supports or doesn’t support doesn’t matter unless he or she can get results.” I half agree with that.  It doesn’t much matter what a person is for or against if he doesn’t get results. On the other hand, if a person gets results, what he is for or against is of central importance because that will determine what results he will attempt to achieve. However well the Board members in recent years might have scored with respect to Mr. Dougherty’s list of qualities, they certainly got results. To take only the most salient recent example, in 2019 they succeeded in getting onto the ballot a levy of historic proportions – which was voted down by the community 78% to 22%.  Whatever the Board was for or against in 2019, it was clearly misaligned with what the community was for or against. It is hard to argue, then, as Mr. Dougherty suggests, that it doesn’t matter what “it” is as long as “it” gets accomplished. Of course, we want to elect Board members who can get results. For that very reason, it matters very much what those members support or don’t support.

    I would actually expand Mr. Dougherty’s list. He mentioned being humble but it didn’t make his top five. Humility is an essential characteristic for being a successful Board member. Independent thinker is also imperative. I would rather see a Board grapple with issues in front of the public rather than come out and uniformly vote on things without much discussion. 

    Finally, it is essential to me, a voter and taxpayer, that Board members respect parental rights, support strong academics and a challenging curriculum, and respect taxpayers. It’s a tall order, but I think some of the candidates possess these qualities in abundance. Moreover, we have candidates who genuinely care about putting students first without alienating the residential district that foots the bill.  

    I have seen several candidates dismissed as being “inexperienced”. Obviously, anyone who hasn’t sat on a Board does not have the experience related to being on a Board, and every Board member in history was once in that position. If inexperience were a bar, there would be no Boards.  

    At the end of the day, an inexperienced Board seeking the right results is incomparably to be preferred to an experienced Board seeking the wrong results. Inexperience tends to correct itself; a bad result does not.

    Lesley Hodge is a resident of Symmes Township and the Loveland City School District

  • Deirdre Dyson has a different “Grailville Vision”

    Deirdre Dyson has a different “Grailville Vision”

    The House of Joy at Grailville – file photos by David Miller

    by David Miller

    Loveland, Ohio – Loveland resident Deirdre Dyson expressed a vision for the Grailville property at Tuesday’s council meeting during the open forum. “I question the idea that residential development of the property is inevitable, said Dyson. Then she talked about her vision.

    EDITOR’S NOTE: Our apology for the sound quality of this video. It was hard to overcome the HVAC noise just overhead, a soft-spoken person, and a podium mic that wasn’t producing much volume.

    A transcript has now been added. Read it below.

    Good Evening, Everybody,

    My name is Deirdre Dyson. I live at 430 W. Loveland Ave. I’ve lived in Loveland – I discovered to my horror today – for 53 years. I knew it had been a while, but it’s been a pleasure, all those 53 years. 

    I wish to talk to you this evening about Grailville, not about legislation and annexation, but just about Grailville itself. I’ve questioned the idea that residential development of the property is inevitable. Grailville is a classic gem of Victorian residential architecture. Many of the unique buildings on the property include: a dining hall designed by William Schickel; a venue for recitals, weddings, and events; trails; and much more. 

    I understand and respect that Grailville wants and needs to sell the property, but I suggest their needs could tie in and satisfy one of Loveland’s greatest needs at the moment. In spite of the recent and the terrific, great growth and revitalization, there is one area, one item that is sadly missing in Loveland. It needs accommodations. I imagine many of you have tried to find a place for out-of-town guests within the ambience of the town. Not easy. There is an opportunity here, I believe, to transform the buildings into an absolute gem for the city, community, and area: a boutique hotel Bed & Breakfast Plus. 

    Could the city actively seek a different kind of developer or group to purchase and restore the property with integrity and vision to honor its historic value? Other towns of Loveland’s sizer have renovated hotels; ornately painted mansions; emphasized architectural detail. Grailville offers all those possibilities and more, with attractive landscaping and walking trails. Just imagine how delightful it would be to stay in Grailville’s renovated, plush Bed & Breakfast rooms or hotel, go for a walk on the woodland property, then explore downtown area for communal bike trail and restaurants, etc. It would not generate traffic congestion like putting 250 or so homes in that area would generate. Road and sewer demands would be a fraction of the proposed development costs. 

    If you have never set foot on the property, let me say that I’m not the only person to feel that there’s something very special there. You can feel it immediately you get on the property. It exudes an aura of calm and tranquility, what so many of us are seeking these days. Surely there must be some entrepreneur or company out there looking for just such an investment opportunity, to purchase to renovate as business opportunity that would serve us all.

    Please don’t let Grailville be just another discarded jewel in the history of what used to be a quaint and unique town.

    Thank you. 

  • Lauren Enda: Parking garage will harm Loveland’s heritage and the natural environment we love

    Lauren Enda: Parking garage will harm Loveland’s heritage and the natural environment we love

    by David Miller

    Lauren Enda

    Loveland, Ohio – Lauren Enda went to the Loveland City Council meeting Tuesday evening to talk about the proposed parking garage in Historic Downtown. Some of the concerns she expressed were about the negative impact she envisions for Loveland’s heritage and quaintness, and the environment.

    She proposes that Loveland residents should be allowed to vote at the ballot box on what she describes as a “big city solution” that will take from the town things it will never get back.

    She also suggestsed that an environmental impact study should be done to protect the “natural environment we love”.

  • Tom Scovanner on annexation of Grailville: Loveland taxpayers are being played for fools

    Tom Scovanner on annexation of Grailville: Loveland taxpayers are being played for fools

    by David Miller

    Loveland, Ohio, At Tuesday’s City Council meeting resident Tom Scovanner went to the podium and laid out his reasoning and research into State and Federal law as to why he declares that Loveland residents are being, “played for fools” over the request by the Drees Company to annex Grailville into the City. The Grailville annexation involves 95 acres on O’Bannon Road and Scovanner cited a Drees’ press release that said they intend to build over 200 homes on the site.

    He discussed the zoning the Drees Company expects to receive and the cost to the Loveland taxpayers of providing police, water, sanitary and stormwater sewers, fire and EMS services, street lighting, inspection services, and planning and zoning services. He said that Drees is expecting that City Council will re-zone the property and allow more than double the number of home sites than the land is currently zoned to handle.

    He requested that Council rescind their request of approval to the Clermont County Commissioners until more is known about the impact to the City of the annexation is known.

    Scovanner, a lawyer, said while holding up a large set of printed files, that although he has done the legal research, more is needed.

    At press time, it is unknown if the Commissioners signed the paperwork on Wednesday as Scovanner anticipated they might.

    EDITOR’S NOTE: The Clermont County Commission approved the Annexation by unanimous vote on Wednesday, October 27.

  • Signups Have Been EXTENDED for Loveland’s Wonka-Land Halloween Edition!

    Signups Have Been EXTENDED for Loveland’s Wonka-Land Halloween Edition!

    by Cassie Mattia

    WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? THE WEATHER WILL BE PERFECT AND THE BEER WILL BE FLOWING!

    SIGNUPS ARE EXTENDED UNTIL FRIDAY AT MIDNIGHT    !

    Loveland, Ohio – Halloween is in just a few days, which means Downtown Loveland is ready to see you in your costumes at Loveland’s Wonka-Land Halloween Edition!

    In year’s past, the city of Loveland has celebrated Halloween with costume contests, special live entertainment at Downtown’s local restaurants, and spooky vendors that typically set up along the Loveland Bike Trail, but this year Little Miami River Chamber of Alliance Board President Doug Portmann envisioned something a little different…Loveland decked out in its very own Wonka-Land! 

    “As my wife and I were brainstorming as to what Loveland’s theme should be this year for Halloween my daughter said, ‘It’s Halloween so why don’t you do a Willy Wonka theme?” Portmann explained, “From there all we really needed to do was fill in the details!”

    On Saturday, October 30th from 6 PM-8 PM teams of 4 will go on a hunt through Loveland’s impromptu candy land in search of Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket! Teams will participate in “sweet” games including 25 stations of challenges, riddles, and drinking in order to find the grand prize. Those that will be participating are asked to please eat dinner beforehand as beer sample tickets and appetizer discount tickets will not be given out to teams until after the games have ended.

    Teams and those that attend Loveland’s Wonka-Land Halloween Edition can dress up in Willy Wonka-themed attire, but ARE NOT REQUIRED to dress in a costume to participate in the games! Some of the Willy Wonka characters are as follows: Willy Wonka, Charlie Buckett, Grandpa Joe, Veruka Salt, Mike Teave, Arthur Slugworth, Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregarde, Mr. Salt, Mrs. Teavee, Oompa-Lumpas, Mrs. Gloop, Mr. Turkentine, and The Tinker. Here are a few links to places where you can purchase Willy Wonka character-inspired costumes, HalloweenCostumes.com, Walmart, and Amazon.

    Need more Wonka inspiration? Check out the original Willy Wonka movie trailer from 1971 starring the legendary Gene Wilder!

    Excited and ready to sign up yet?! Registration is $35 per person or $140 a team, plus fees and taxes. We have included the link to sign up below, but before you do so here are a few simple rules to adhere to before you enter into the search for the Golden Ticket!

    1. All those participating must be 21 years old.
    2. It is recommended that all participants eat dinner beforehand as the event will be very crowded and hard to order a full dinner quickly!
    3. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will be no food tastings this year, but select restaurants will be offering 50% off appetizers to all participants after the games!
    4. DORA will be in full swing in Downtown Loveland!
    5. The most important rule is…HAVE FUN!

    Loveland’s Wonka-Land Halloween Edition is nearly sold out so we encourage you to grab your team and sign up before it’s too late!

    Visit the Web Site

    A Huge Shout-Out to This Year’s Sponsors! Thank you so Much for Your Support!

    For more Loveland event updates stay tuned to the Loveland Salad With ME, Cassie Mattia!

  • Sharon Scovanner on the annexation of Grailville and suppression of speech by Mayor Bailey

    Sharon Scovanner on the annexation of Grailville and suppression of speech by Mayor Bailey

    Loveland, Ohio – Sharon Scovanner went through the legal channels to be permitted to speak for 10-minutes at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. Even though she followed the rules, Mayor Kathy Bailey refused Scovanner’s request to be “Placed on the Agenda”.

    She wanted to speak about the annexation into the City of the Graville property.

    “WOW! If Mayor Bailey doesn’t want to hear from the citizens of Loveland maybe being mayor of Loveland is not for her.” – Sharon Scovanner

    Not being deterred, Scovanner went to the meeting and signed up for “open forum” which would allow her 5-minutes to speak.

    As soon as the 5-minutes was over, Scovanner was interrupted mid-sentence by Bailey and told that her speaking time was over. Scovanner immediately left the podium.

    You can watch Scovanner speaking last night in the LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video below and also read her entire statement to see what she was not allowed to say.

    Also below is a post-meeting LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV interview with Scovanner being asked how she felt the meeting went and Mayor Bailey’s response to the accusation of suppressing free speech.

    City council

I’ve spoken with numerous members of council recently including Mr. Oury, Mr. Bateman, (at my house) Mr. Blair, and Mr. Butler (at the committee appreciation dinner) about some really important issues recently.  There has been debate and at times we have agreed to disagree.  Disagreement is not a negative, but a way to understand each other’s point of view.  I have also had productive meetings and discussions with Dave Kennedy, Tom Smith and Mark Medlar.  The best results are always when there is dialogue, each person defending their positions.  That’s how democracy works, when it is working well.  Governing bodies succeed when there is open sharing of facts, discussion, deliberation and at times, compromise.           

A couple of weeks ago all the city council candidates were invited to attend a meet the Candidate forum after our neighborhood’s annual HOA meeting.  Mr. Butler, Hart, Phelps and Ms. Lukens attended.   At our meeting there was spirited debate about the development of Blossom Hill, annexation of the Grail property, the proposed parking garage, all of which significantly impact TRAFFIC congestion in DT Loveland.  Mr. Phelps and Hart took a lot of tough questions, as the residents were concerned about the disproportionate detrimental effect each of these developments would have on the residents of Warren County.  Hopefully they heard the collective and heartfelt voices of the residents.  Mr. Phelps stayed after the meeting and talked further about these issues which was most appreciated.  He suggested that I add my name to the agenda of the next city council meeting for further discussion.  I attempted to do so. 

Rule 19 of the Loveland City Council rules (five-day rule) states “Any person, group or delegation wishing to be placed on the agenda to appear before council shall direct a letter to the clerk of council so it is received by the clerk no later than 12 noon on the Thursday preceding the regularly scheduled Tuesday council meeting,….

Rule 19 was followed, despite this, On Friday, I received an email from Misty, the clerk of council.  It read, “Sharon, Mayor Bailey has DECLINED your request to be placed on the October 26 agenda and suggested that you speak during open forum.”  WOW!  If Mayor Bailey doesn’t want to hear from the citizens of Loveland maybe being mayor of Loveland is not for her.  

According to rule 19, the mayor has no authority what so ever to deny a request to appear on the agenda.  Just because the mayor does not like what a citizen has to say, does not give her the right to try to silence them.     

If you look at the organizational chart of the city, one and only one group is at the top, it isn’t the mayor, the city council, businesses or developers.  It’s the citizens.  

Allowing active participation of the citizenry should be the goal of any functioning democracy and should be insisted upon by all who are in positions of power.    

In 2017, a group known as Loveland Community Heartbeat, lead by Neal Oury (our community advocate, as per his political sign) initiated a recall of Mayor Mark Fitzgerald.  The grounds for removal were as follows.
 
1. Conducting city operations and meetings in a manner which prohibits full participations by all council members, resident involvement and transparency and

2. Willfully and flagrantly exercising authority and power without the consent of the resident electorate or city council

2017 was a dark time for the city of Loveland and Mayor Bailey is returning us to those same dark days.  Over the past few months Mayor Bailey has prohibited full participation by all council members and resident involvement by
  
1. denying my request to be on the agenda to limit my time for speaking, after I was invited by Mr. Phelps to be placed on the agenda.

2. telling another Resident he could not speak (Dave Stanton), only to be admonished by the Law Director because she overreached her authority. 

3. voting in favor of taking a sitting Council Member off the agenda to limit his speech.

4. denying a sitting Council member’s request to be on the agenda to limit his speech. 

5.  trying to limit members of the press from access to meetings and taking pictures.

6. showing favoritism to one member of council by allowing him more times to speak, while denying that same right to others council members.   

7. Earlier this year, she voted to change council rules to limit the time any one topic could be spoken about by residents in one meeting to 20 minutes. 
 
So, if an issue comes up that brings 100 people to open forum only 4 people can speak?  Council has an obligation to listen to all the residents who take the time to prepare and come to speak to council, regardless how long it takes; its what you were elected to do. 

These are only the things that I know of, who knows who else has been denied the right to speak?   This is all very alarming and needs to stop.     

Suppression of speech undermines the very core of any democracy.  

The recent actions of Mayor Bailey serve as a wakeup call for the citizens of Loveland, members of council and to those who spoke so loudly against Mark Fitzgerald 4 years ago.  

We can and must do better.  

I welcome your questions and comments