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ROCKFORD - Two candidates are vying to become Rockford's next mayor in the Nov. 7 general election.
Mayor Amy Joseph is in her final months heading up the village after deciding not to seek another term.
Chris Rasbach is a 43-year-old business process manager for Crown Equipment Corporation.
He and his wife of eight years, Crystol, have two children. He earned his master's degree in business administration from Keller Graduate School of Management.
Rasbach has never held public office.
"Having been in management for well over 20 years, my background in education and all the various things that I've done over my life, I think I would be an asset to the community in helping with that experience," he said.
Rasbach is running because "the last eight years that I've lived in this area, I've watched Rockford just slowly continue to deplete, to die," he said.
He said he's talked to a lot of community members over the last eight years trying to understand how Rockford "went from one of the most thriving communities in western Ohio to where we are today."
"I get a lot of feedback from the public about how it was treated like a retirement community and we just don't reinvest in the community," he continued. "We don't promote businesses and we've turned businesses away. It's disappointing because I came out here eight years ago from Las Vegas. I've lived in big cities and I've lived in small cities. I've seen how things could be really ugly and nasty, especially for families. I've seen a community like Rockford, where I think we're so family-oriented with such great people, I don't want to see that continue to die off. We really (have) to do something different."
Rasbach said it's going to take time to change the state of the village but stressed it's crucial that action be taken.
"It's not a simple solution," he said. "It's going to take a lot of time, but we've got to start righting that ship. If we don't, we're going to end up like Mendon or other communities that start losing village status. You lose enough population and you lose that. I want to raise my family here and I want my kids to raise their kids here because it is a great community. We're not going to be able to do that if we can't turn this around."
If elected, Rasbach said he wants to help fill the vacant storefronts to revitalize the village's economy.
He said he's talked to people looking to find homes for their businesses but can't because storefronts either aren't for rent or are being used for personal space. Rasbach said he doesn't want to have to leave Rockford to shop for basics beyond groceries.
Rasbach added the village needs transparency and accountability.
"We need to … listen to the public and understand what they want," he said. "I don't feel like we've done a great job of that. There's this sense (that) somebody owes somebody something. I don't have that. I may not have lived here for the last 50 years, but I don't owe anybody anything. I owe the taxpayers to do the right thing with their money and I owe the community to make this a better place. That's what I owe."
A mayor's responsibility, he said, is to uphold ordinances passed by council, be a public face for the community and work with all the department heads to provide guidance and leadership.
If elected, he also wants to understand where village funds are going.
"People should care about how their money is being spent," he said. "Why did we have to build a water tower and rehab a water tower in the same year? What are we doing wrong that made that have to happen?"
Rasbach said he's excited for the election and wants people to vote with their hearts.
"I want people to get out and vote for what's best for them, not vote for who they've known the longest, but vote for what they believe in and what they think they need in their lives," he said. "Whether that's me or not, that's up to the public."
Ron Searight is a 67-year-old retiree. Until June, he worked for Evoqua Water Technologies where he treated water at the Lima refinery.
Searight and his wife of 21 years, Lisa, have a daughter. He earned a bachelor's degree in management from Kaplan University.
He is the current council president and has served on council and a variety of its committees for about 10 years.
In addition to his experience in public office, Searight said he's coached for 27 years and volunteers with the fire department and Mercer County Emergency Medical Services. He feels his volunteer work and management skills have given him leadership responsibilities.
"I've seen the need (for) change in Rockford, and so I felt like this is my time," he said.
Searight said he was encouraged by the public to run for mayor.
If elected, he said he would emphasize village communication and transparency.
"One thing I'd like to do is have office hours where the people can come and actually discuss things with me," he said. "We're going to look at how we run business within the administration. What I'd really like to do is get input from not only the heads of certain area departments but also through the town council. I want to be a part of that."
Ultimately, he wants to see the town grow.
Searight said council has cleaned up the town and is in the process of "getting things lined up structurally-wise so when businesses come, hopefully we can accommodate that."
"I'm looking (to) the future by trying to address today," he said.
