There are seven candidates running for four seats on Upper Arlington City Council.  Pencilstorm asked each of the candidates five specific questions centered around issues that impacted Upper Arlington residents and questions that were being raised by fellow voters.  Pencilstorm will be posting their complete and unedited answers individually throughout September and reposting all their answers together before the election. School Board candidates will appear in October. Answers will be posted in order they're received. Our last candidate, Ukeme Awakessien Jeter, is featured below.

Ukeme Awakessien Jeter
www.ukemeforua.com

What makes you qualified to have oversight of the $72 million city budget?
I started my career as a project engineer. In that role, I earned an MBA and led numerous capital improvement projects for a national Fortune 500 corporation. I delivered all my projects within scope and under budget. Project engineers oversee all aspects of a venture, including planning, budgeting, personnel, and more. 

Today, I am an attorney and I work with innovative clients to help bring their novel products and services to market. There are several “tracks” that can be taken to bring a new product to the marketplace, each require budget setting before beginning down the track.  

More, I served on the City’s 2019 Financial Review Taskforce. The Task Force was charged primarily with, a high-level review of the City’s current financial status and overall outlook; assessing the status of capital investments made to date and the outlook/plans for the next 10-year Capital Improvement Program; along with other pertinent reviews.      

These varied experiences with budgets make me uniquely qualified to have oversight of the City’s budget.

What steps do we need to take so that the new community center is the best it can be for all Upper Arlington citizens?
Together, we need to develop a program-driven, flexible and sustainable design that is adaptive and inclusive for all. 

First, the new community center must meet the expectations set by the extensive work of the Community Center Feasibility Task Force. Achieving the optimum design will require broad civic engagement. As a member of council, I will help foster dialogue between all community members and stakeholders including under-represented community members and strategic partners like student groups, realtors, and neighboring municipalities. I believe that designing the new community center around our existing needs as well as visionary uses will help to ensure that the center becomes an integral fixture of our community. Simultaneously, we must recognize uses change over time so a flexible design will allow the community center to be resilient to the changing needs of the community and our local economy. Plus, as energy costs rise, and municipal revenue streams fluctuate; a sustainable design is important.  

With innovative leadership and proper oversight, the new community center can serve as a centerpiece for Upper Arlington. I believe the new community center provides us the opportunity to set a new standard of collaboration between all stakeholders, while supporting thoughtful and innovative programming.

Much work has been done over the past two decades to improve the financial well-being of our city. What are the next steps we need to take for our parks and pools as we continually improve?
Our parks and pools are an integral part of our community and need to evolve to serve as much more than just playgrounds and sports playing fields. In 2018, the Parks & Recreation Department completed an extensive planning process that resulted in the adoption of a Comprehensive Plan. The document informs and guides decision-making relative to the department’s oversight of parks, facilities, and programming. The document does not—nor was it intended to—provide recommendations of what facilities and amenities should be provided. Our next step is to define that “what.”  

Recreational programing is unique in that creativity is valued. I support ideas such as: incorporating gardens and art into parks that promote culture and a sense of place; the development of a trail systems that connects our parks to each other; leveraging partnerships with our schools and community organizations for events and installments and allowing for non- traditional uses of our pools off-season. Like, kayakers using the pools to learn new techniques, fishers learning how to cast, and a science class learning water pumps. 

Reimagining how community members can utilize our parks and pools, allows us to continually improve, increase usability and create dynamic spaces throughout the seasons. 

Central Ohio is the fastest growing area in the state and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission projects we’ll have 3 million residents by the year 2050. What are two things Upper Arlington needs to do to maintain its position as one of the best places to live in Central Ohio? 
To remain a community of choice, Upper Arlington needs a redefined sense of place and a connected infrastructure plan. 

The exponential growth that Central Ohio is experiencing requires the development of a visionary master plan, not just an update to the existing one. A plan that focuses on redefining Upper Arlington’s sense of place and providing a renewed decision-making framework for a broad range of City issues like land use, economy, community facilities and services, housing, and sustainability. A plan intentional about retaining and attracting residents and visitors to the City. A plan that bridges our legacy with our future. 

The growth also requires connected infrastructure with a smart city ecosystem. Infrastructure that connects our residents to opportunities and each other, and allows motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists to co-exist safely. Infrastructure that supports connectivity such as multi-modal transportation, smart traffic lights, smart parking, and provides people with more ways to get where they need to go. Infrastructure that can help us prepare for, mitigate against, respond to, and recover from natural and human-caused disasters - - such as flooding and power outages. Reimagining our connectedness is necessary to attract people and retain business growth while ensuring quality of life.

Here’s a fun question. We’re all musicians here at Pencilstorm and are excited about the return to live music. What band or performer are you most excited about seeing live again?
I am most excited to see Saint Jhn in concert again! I had a chance to see him in November 2019 at Newport Music Hall. It was an EPIC performance before he recorded Brown Skin Girl with Beyonce and a track for the remake of Space Jam: A New Legacy. I’m excited about his wild popularity but may no longer be able to afford a ticket!

Pencilstorm would like to thank Ukeme Awakessien Jeter for taking the time to answer our questions.  Learn more about Ukeme at her website: www.ukemeforua.com. Look for responses from school board candidates in the coming days. Pencilstorm is an independent news source and does not endorse any individual candidate.

Local UA Politics coverage provided by Wal Ozello. You can email him at Pencilstormstory@gmail.com or try to catch him at Colin's Coffee. 

 Check out coverage of all the candidates we've received responses from by clicking here.