The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area and asked of all candidates for this office.

See below for questions on Qualification, Priorities, Accessiblity, Recycling, Housing

Click on a name for other candidate information.   See also more information about this contest.

Answer from Tom Weidman:

I have been a leader in the community for over 20 years. I served six years as a member of the Sycamore Township Planning and Zoning Commission, and have served the last 5 years as Chairman of the Sycamore Township Board of Zoning Appeals.

Answer from Patricia Stern:

I am a hard working compassionate, intelligent individual that will bring a new fresh approach to government in our Township. People who know me personally will attest to my honesty and character and willingness to do the right thing against all odds, while standing up for what I believe in.

Answer from Patricia Stern:

I will have the staff do an evaluation of all existing undeveloped land and make offers to purchase them to put in a green space land trust . Secondly I will insure our Fire Department has the resources they need to meet the demands of our families, aging population as well as those of our business community. I will continue the contract we have with the Hamilton County Sheriffs office that provide us with the best protection against crime. I will meet with the Sheriff Leis to see if he feels our staffing is adequate and increase staffing per his advise.

Answer from Cliff W. Bishop:

I will continue to be a part of a very effective government that has its citizens as a top priority. I will try to keep an even and comfortable mix of residential, business, and parks with recreation. I will be conservative with the money available and still maintain the best level of services and safety. Whereever business encroaches on residential I would like to see buffers increased and possibly a donation of green space by the developer. I will continue to always do what's best for Sycamore Twp.

Answer from Tom Weidman:

I am 100% committed to giving Fire Chief Jetter and our Hamilton County Sheriff Deputies all of the tools and resources it takes to continue the outstanding protection they provide all of our residents.

In my 11 years on two Zoning Boards, I have fought endlessly to insure that we continue to balance commercial growth while maintaining the character of our residential communities. I will continue to serve as a member of our Land Use Plan Committee, as I have since 1994. This Committee develops our five year plan for community growth and development.

I will always work to keep the Township within our budget and avoid additional taxes to our residents.

Answer from Patricia Stern:

I would have all of our buildings and parks evaluated by experts in the field of accessibility and would insure that our parks get handicapped accessible swings/ equipment for children.

Answer from Cliff W. Bishop:

All newer facilities are accessible. We work with owners of businesses that are not as new and try to get them to provide even more than the law requires.

Answer from Tom Weidman:

Since the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in July of 1990, we have made great strides in our community to make all of the buildings easily accessible to people with disabilities. All of our Township facilities are fully accessible to people with disabilities, and I will work hard to get developers in all buildings, public or private, to facilitate accessibility for all people with disabilities.

Answer from Patricia Stern:

I would create Public Service Announcements to be played on cable channels encouraging residents to recycle as well as asking our local waste carriers to put inserts in their bills to remind residents that recycling is available. I would also feature an article about recycling in our Township newsletter. I would continue to support existing recycling programs, such as our leaf collection/mulching and trash bash for hazardous items, while researching new innovative ways to recycle other materials.

Answer from Tom Weidman:

I believe that recycling is the responsibility of all community members, and I will work to make the recycling programs more affordable as an incentive for all to participate. I have worked diligently with the Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District Committee, and the Hamilton County Commissioners, to insure that we are able to maintain our current yard waste recycling site, and not lose it to a developer of Big Box Retail. Last year Sycamore Township passed 2.6 million pounds of yard waste through our recycling site, and I am working hard to insure the continued use of this facility.

Answer from Cliff W. Bishop:

We have had great success with recycling already. However, trash companies have increased the costs to the residents. I will work with these companies to make recycling more affordable.

Answer from Cliff W. Bishop:

Unfortunately, the local government does not set the housing prices in their community. The residents of Sycamore Township are residents because they were able to afford the homes where they live. There is, in addition, no undeveloped areas in which to build more affordable housing.

Answer from Tom Weidman:

Sycamore Township is a very diverse community with housing in all price points from entry level to very expensive. Our community is completely developed and certain areas of the Township provide for affordable housing already. I do not feel that it is the responsibility of the Sycamore Township Government to provide affordable housing to anybody. Housing prices are market driven, and Sycamore Township Government has no business meddling in this.

Answer from Patricia Stern:

I feel that Sycamore Township housing is very affordable at every level of income. Not only do we have affordable single family homes we have many apartments and condo/townhomes that are affordable at all levels of income. To insure that remains, I would contact local realtors/lending institutions and ask them to work together to make low interest monies available so that more people can afford to purchase property in our township.

The order of the candidates is random and changes daily.