To the Editor:

Ever since I started the Watch Piqua Facebook page, Mayor Lee has supported what I’ve tried to do with it; we haven’t always agreed on everything, but we’ve always agreed to disagree and have had a great working relationship because of it. He has actively listened to and taken suggestions at the Commission meetings from myself, my wife, and others to make positive changes to improve the city of Piqua. When my sister and brother-in-law became sick a few months ago, and I had to step away from the Watch Piqua page, Mayor Lee stayed in contact with me and offered to help our family in any way that he could.

Mayor Lee obviously cares about the community and people of Piqua, and there is no price tag attached to his compassion and commitment, which is why he has my utmost respect. After all, isn’t the first thing any leader or political figure should do is care about the people they are supposed to represent?

Earlier this year, I personally met with Mr. Nolan Campbell, who is a candidate for the Third Ward seat. I believe he is a good guy who wants to be involved locally, and to attack him personally would be misguided of me. I respect Mr. Campbell’s drive to want to be a part of this town, and I truly mean that, as we should all aspire to become actively involved and to be a part of growth in our communities.

Piqua is in a very delicate situation right now. The current leadership in place, and the changes they are making, is starting to work. The focus has shifted from the betterment of a small group of people, to the betterment of the city of Piqua as a whole. I truly believe that now is the time to continue building a strong foundation and stay the course we are currently following.

With all due respect to Mr. Campbell, if you’ve never paid a Piqua utility bill, how can you understand an unexplained spike in a residents bill? If you’ve never been employed by any of the industries here, how can you understand the needs of this town which desperately needs more industry growth? If you don’t own a home or pay rent to live here, how can you possibly understand the very real struggles of the average working class individual who does live here?

I do believe someone with the drive that Mr. Campbell has could become a valuable asset to the city of Piqua over time, however, that time is not now because of his lack of experience in specific areas needed for our city government positions.

Regardless of what you think of either candidate, make sure you vote this Nov. 2!

— Jey Roman

Piqua