Republican voters in Newark’s third ward – which encompasses the city’s west end, south of Ohio Rt. 16 and and west of 30th Street – will see two candidates running to represent them on Newark City Council during the primary election on May 6.
Incumbent city council member Jeff Rath and candidate Molly Ingold are running to represent Newark’s third ward, and the winner of the May election will move on to the general election in November, where they’ll face Democrat Marci Fones.
Rath has been a council member for almost 16 years and is finishing his fourth term. He’s a Republican party volunteer who has worked on different campaigns and is the former president of the Licking County Patriots Club. Rath is also part of both the central and executive committees of the Licking County Republican Party.
On the city council, he’s on the capital improvements committee, public service committee, public safety committee, street committee, rules committee and is president pro-tem.
“I carry with me a wealth of experience, and experience matters,” he said about running for his fifth term.
Throughout his 15 years in office, Rath has worked on several key projects related to infrastructure, and supported the Newark City Council in increasing their budget to $1.5 million per year for road paving and repair. He has also supported legislation meant to protect people from dog attacks.
In October last year, Rath was a vocal supporter of Ordinance 24-36, controversial legislation that made it illegal for unhoused people to camp on public property in Newark.
The legislation, he said at the time of passage last year, was not “a solution” to the ongoing homelessness and housing crisis in Newark. Instead, he said, it was “a gateway into services. It’s an opportunity for [people] to get help.”
Rath reiterated that prior to the May election.
“We have a wealth of resources that are available to people in Licking County and in Newark,” he said.
Those resources include the recently launched HOME Court, created in tandem with Ordinance 24-36.
Read more: Newark Council unveils plans for HOME Court diversion program in wake of public camping ordinance
He’s a supporter of HOME court, which stands for “Housing Opportunities through Municipal Engagement” and is a “diversion” program meant to help unsheltered people who have committed crimes to avoid jail and criminal records; It connects them with social service organizations instead.
Molly Ingold, Rath’s opponent in this election, also supports HOME court.
“It’s a huge list of community organizations that are going to support this program, so that those that want to go forward and put some pieces together for themselves, they would be able to do that,” she said.
Ingold is involved in numerous community organizations and has held many volunteer and leadership positions in Licking County, including a term as executive director of the United Way of Licking County. She retired in 2014 from her job as vice president of administrative services at Hospice of Central Ohio in Newark, a role that she held for 11 years. She’s been a board member and chair of the governing committee of the Licking County Foundation, president of the Newark Rotary Club and board president of Otterbein SeniorLife, a senior living community in Granville. She was on the Newark City School Board for seven years and was president for two.
“I really want to be there to represent the people of the third ward. I want to listen to what they have to say. I want to invite engagement or involvement with one another,” Ingold said.
Both candidates are supporters of Ohio Issue 2, which would renew a program that allows Ohio to sell $2.5 billion in bonds to fund public infrastructure improvements. The bond would fund projects related to waste disposal, roads, bridges and other vital infrastructure over a 10-year period.
“It absolutely has to pass. It is a vital resource for local governments and helping to maintain and upkeep infrastructure,” Rath said.
“I will be voting yes for that,” Ingold said. “I think that that’s very important.”
Ingold also supports the replacement property tax levy for Licking County Children Services.
Both Ingold and Rath mentioned their pride in the growth of the third ward and want to continue assisting that growth in years to come.
“I am here to make sure the growth is smart and the people are considered in the decisions that are made,” Ingold said.
“It’s important to have somebody that understands zoning and what development can do to the neighborhoods, so that the wrong type of development doesn’t have an adverse effect on the people who already live there,” Rath said.
Early voting began on Tuesday, April 8, at the board of elections office at 20 S. 2nd Street in Newark. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. from April 28-May 2, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 3, and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday, May 4. On Election Day, May 6, polls will be open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Ellie Owen writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.