LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

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Tag: settell

  • Loveland gets new mayor and vice-mayor

    Loveland gets new mayor and vice-mayor

    by Sam Smith

    Loveland, OH- On Monday, December 4th, Loveland City Council held elections for mayor and vice-mayor. After months without a mayor following Mark Fitzgerald’s resignation, Loveland unanimously voted 5-0 to elect Kathy Bailey as mayor and Rob Weisgerber as vice-mayor. Former vice-mayor Angie Settell refused to vote as she “could not remain impartial”.

    The packed city council meeting saw a handful of regular attendees move from the audience to the governing body. Neal Oury, Tim Butler, Ted Phelps and Rob Weisgerber were victors in the November election. Weisgerber and Phelps, as a result, retained their council seat. The meeting began by swearing in newly elected members Oury, Butler and Weisgerber into office. 

    2017 Election Results

    Pamela Gross and Stephen Zagamias were defeated in their bid to be re-elected. Since Mark Fitzgerald’s resignation on August 14th, Loveland has operated without a mayor. Previous vice-mayor Angie Settell called the meeting to order and immediately addressed the open mayoral seat and called for nominations; Bailey was the only nomination. She was approved by five members of the council with Settell refusing to vote.

    Mark Fitzgerald resigns as Loveland Mayor and councilmember

    Bailey has been a Loveland resident for 22 years and raised children in the city. Bailey has been an assistant prosecuting attorney for Hamilton County since 1992. She has a B.A in sociology with a focus on criminology from Miami University and attended the J.D. University of Cincinnati College of Law.

    Bailey will miss her first meeting as mayor (and the first missed meeting since being elected to council) to pick up her daughter, Kaitlyn, from Ft. Sill in Oklahoma where she is completing advanced millitary training.

    “We are all here because we love serving this city. I’m honored to be given the opportunity now to serve your city as your mayor,” Mayor Bailey said in her acceptance speech.

    This story was updated at 7:20 AM, 12/8/17

  • Mary Ann Lynn: Time to end Loveland soap opera

    Mary Ann Lynn: Time to end Loveland soap opera

    And then, like a Friday afternoon bombshell – a plotline that’s been building for months…

    by Mary Ann Lynn

    Like sands through the hourglass… so goes the soap opera that is Loveland City Council. When we last left the city council majority, or the “Fitz Four” (Mayor Fitzgerald and council members Gross, Settell and Zamagias), they had really painted themselves in a corner – stomping out of a city council meeting after just seven minutes to the hearty boos of residents in the audience and subsequent public outcry. How did they get here? For a while, everything was going so well. The majority had the votes to pass anything they wanted. The mayor had padded key committees to further smooth the path. After a while, they didn’t even bother to communicate what they were doing to the council minority (Bailey, Phelps, Weisgerber) because, what was the point, really? 

    But there was this pesky group of “zealots” at every council meeting. They formed a PAC and relentlessly shined the spotlight on wrong doings of the Fitz majority. The broader population of residents started tuning in, paying attention, voicing concerns. Other groups of concerned residents were being formed and getting vocal. Week after week in editorials, meeting after council meeting, residents were speaking out against the lies and conduct of the council majority. Literally NOBODY was showing up to defend the behavior or integrity of the Fitz Four. If you are part of this majority, you need to change the narrative – quickly. Allegations of stalking and much ado over Facebook comments proved ineffective diversions. An obscure proposal for changes to the city’s charter provided some level of distraction – a brief reprieve.

    [quote_right]Could the drama get any higher?[/quote_right]And then, like a Friday afternoon bombshell – a plotline that’s been building for months… Loveland Community Heartbeat PAC delivered to the Board of Elections mayor recall petitions with 2,000+ signatures – more than twice the number of signatures needed. The recall of Mayor Mark Fitzgerald is now all but assured. Four council seats are up for election in November, and the prospects for Fitzgerald, Gross or Zamagias retaining their seats are getting dimmer by the minute. 

    Could the drama get any higher? In the week since the recall petition submission, we have seen highly personal attacks on PAC members and the recall process, and a local business targeted for choosing not to participate in the controversy. Enough. More than 2,000 Loveland residents have spoken. These overly dramatic and sinister plots may make for good daytime drama, but they are being played out to the great detriment of our community. It is time to recast Fitzgerald, Gross and Zamagias.

    Up-dated 7:14 AM 7-25-17

    [Video] Fitzgerald Re-Call Petitions delivered to Elections Board
     

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