Who is running for Lancaster's City Council? Meet the At-Large candidates

Yahoo

05-05-2025

LANCASTER — With four at-large seats available for Lancaster City Council, four members are running for reelection, while two new candidates are vying to take seats.
Burt Conley and Rob Knisley are running along with current seat-holders Alayna Hoop, Corey Schoonover, Michael Wing and Bob Wolfinger.
Conley, 50, is a commercial auditor who decided to run to make sure all voices are being heard and ensure the city budget stays where it needs to be.
He said the spending is "off the charts," with things like the City Hall restorations taking up too much of the taxpayers' dollars.
Having a business background of almost 24 years, he hopes to bring that into city council by encouraging diversity and pushing for other companies to work for the city for better quality at a lower cost.
In terms of housing, Conley said he thinks the city needs more single-family homes rather than apartments that will create safer neighborhoods with more privacy.
A goal of his is to help people, especially those who are homeless. Conley helped build a New York non-profit called Second Street that helped homeless people get off the street and into jobs.
"I want to use the same techniques to help rebuild Lancaster and take off the stress from the public." he said. "Homeless people are there for a reason, they don't have a place to go to."
In addition to public safety, he said he has been pushing for another fire department to be built to help improve the response time as some parts of Lancaster take a long time for the fire department to reach.
'I plan on going beyond Lancaster and working with other agencies, it's not just a city council seat," Conley said.
The other new name on the ballot is Rob Knisley, 32, who works as a political director of Ohio Gun Owners.
He said he decided to run because he has been dissatisfied with the direction that Lancaster is going in, such as the "degeneracy at public square," which is how he referred to the LGBTQ+ events last September and the rate at which the city spends money. He said he believes the city needs a change in leadership, with conservative Republicans who respect taxpayer dollars and want their rights protected.
'What President Trump has been doing in Washington has been showing us the way in how to fight for the people," said Knisley. 'I want what's happening in Washington to be done here, as far as cutting spending and doing the stuff that should have been done a long time ago. I felt that rather than waiting for someone to step up and do the right thing, sometimes you just have to be the person who steps up and do the right thing."
If elected, Knisley would push to get Lancaster to start paying back their debts with a DOGE-type system and make home ownership more affordable with single-family homes rather than apartment buildings, to encourage people to put their roots down in Lancaster.
As for the LGBTQ+ pride and drag show from last September, Knisley said he would like to regulate cabaret performances by having them done in an establishment with permits and licensing.
Current seat-holder Hoop, 40, invests in real estate and stays at home to take care of her children. Along with a background in accounting, Hoop said she ran for a seat because she felt like she would be a good asset to city council. She has lived and raised her kids in Lancaster for 15 years.
'My focus is to be diligent with tax dollars and to be wise in our growth," she said. 'We have a great city and I'm privileged to take my turn at serving."
To ensure tax dollars are being spent wisely, she said council members go through the budget line for line with department heads. There are plans for about 300 single-family homes, and there is a study being done by the city and county that will help Lancaster have a more clear idea of how much and what kind of housing is needed, she said.
As for the September pride events and drag shows, she explained that there is not much council can do as everyone is able to enjoy the open spaces, as long as everything is legal.
"As a conservative Christian who is running for a political office, it's definitely not something I want to see downtown, but as a conservative Christian, I'm a rule follower, and we have the First and Fourteenth Amendment that protects against discrimination and allows for everyone the freedom to assemble," said Hoop. 'If the city would have pushed back, we could have put ourselves in a position to see very expensive lawsuits."
Schoonover, 46, is another current seat-holder running again. He is also the Executive Director of Fairfield-area Humane Society.
Schoonover said the biggest issue is having to work through our differences since we're all neighbors living in the same community.
'I'm about the art of being neighborly... I think that's what we need to get back to, understanding your neighbors and being civil with each other," he said. "Everyone has a differing in opinions, but at the end of the day, we're all neighbors, we all live in the same place."
Addressing the complaints of taxes being raised, he said city council does not raise taxes, but rather the voters vote to approve tax increases to improve and grow the safety forces.
"From a budget perspective on city council, I think were doing a fairly decent job at working with administration to make sure dollars are being spent appropriately," he said.
As for housing, Schoonover said Lancaster, along with other parts of Central Ohio, is behind on a supply for housing. Although many may disagree on what kind of housing is needed, such as senior and affordable housing or single-family homes, he said we all agree it's needed.
"The small town feel is going to be one of the things that we're going to have to work hard to maintain and control as we grow," said Schoonover.
Michael Wing, 28, first began his term in January 2024 and is re-running for an at-large position while also working in public affairs and Member of Benefits for a trade association. Wing's main priority is maintaining and upholding small-government values.
The three things he's running on preserving Lancaster's small town values, modernizing and investing in their infrastructure and cutting unnecessary waste and red tape.
'I'm very proud to work with the mayor and administration with the first budget we passed last December for this year, we actually cut over $200,000 in general funds- I think that's important for people to realize," said Wing.
They were able to do this but not filling positions that were unfilled due to retirements, combining departments and making them share resources.
He wants to require developers to come in and follow city standards and not write the rules themselves to help protect Lancaster's small-town values.
He said he was worked to get the streets paved and fixed, especially on the west side where streets have been neglected.
To address concerns about the cost of the new water plant, Wing, who is the committee chair of water and water pollution control, assured that the water plant is being funded through water bills, not income tax as required by state law.
As for the events and drag show held last September, Wing said that banning events can turn into an expensive legal issue, which would have to be paid for by taxpayer dollars.
'I am a small government guy in every sense, I don't think government should be banning what events can and cannot happen in public, I think that's quite tyrannical and dangerous," he said.
Wing says he is always happy to talk to people and answer any questions or concerns.
Wolfinger, 75, is the City of Lancaster's Finance Committee Chair and in January 2024, began his term for an at-large seat. He worked 38 years at National City Bank, working in corporate banking and following retirement, served as a treasurer for the city as well as the treasurer for the Lancaster Port Authority.
With a background in finance, Wolfinger addressed concerns of tax dollars being wasted.
"Tax dollars are being allocated by the intention of the voters. We have income tax of 2.3 percent, of which 1.3 percent is all directed by the taxpayer," he said. "That has been voted on to help fund the fire department, the police department, the parks operation and the streets."
For housing, he said there is a continuous need for housing for seniors, such as assisted-living projects and nursing homes. He also said there is a lack of upper-level housing in Lancaster for individuals earning a higher income. The city is working on a housing study for Fairfield County, but in the meantim,e there are several apartment and single-family housing projects on the table.
"We have a strong need for lower-income housing for individuals who have not been as fortunate as others, and that ties into job creation for these folks, or their jobs are at a salary level that is not keeping up with inflation," said Wolfinger.
Being on city council during the controversy of the drag show downtown Lancaster, Wolfinger said everyone has the constitutional right to freedom of speech.
"City council cannot restrict or create laws that are contradictory to the United States," he said.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Six candidates running for Lancaster's At-Large council seats