my plan

Learn more about

Jason's Achievements and
Future Plan for North Ridgeville

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Safety          Economic Development          Infrastructure Improvements          Recreational Opportunities

Safety

Our safety forces play a vital role in ensuring the security and well-being of our community.  As a resident of our City, I am deeply appreciative of their unwavering dedication.  As a Councilman, I have supported efforts to ensure our safety forces have the funding needed to operate successfully, allowing our departments to equip personnel with the latest tools, training and technology to enable them to respond more effectively to emergencies and prevent potential threats.  A few examples include:

  • Additional body and dash cameras to protect our first responders and the residents they serve
  • The installation of our city-wide Flock camera system which helps our officers improve public safety and support crime prevention efforts in real-time
  • The purchase of several new Police vehicles and a new ambulance to ensure our fleet of safety vehicles can allow our officers and EMTs to be prepared to handle emergencies without delay
  • Appropriating funds for the renovation and expansion of Fire Station #2, which was an award-winning construction project
  • The continued maintenance and replacement of fire hydrants throughout the City ensuring a swift and effective response to fires

I am certainly grateful for the community at-large in supporting the construction of our new state-of-the-art Police station, as well.  Together, our investments in our safety forces demonstrate a commitment to maintaining a safe and secure environment, fostering public trust, and preventing potential risks before they escalate into serious issues. 

If I am re-elected, I will continue to ensure supporting our city’s safety forces is a top priority for our City Administration.

Economic Development

In my opinion, well-planned economic development is crucial for the growth and sustainability of our city.  Creating an environment which attracts investment in economic development in our community helps to create jobs and other opportunities to improve the overall quality of life for our residents.  Economic development initiatives help to make the City less reliant on the tax-paying residents and increase the revenue the City receives from businesses.  It also often leads to additional investment in our City from both local and outside sources, improved infrastructure, access to a broader range of services and amenities, and creates a sustainable and resilient community. 

As a Councilman, I fully supported the hiring of our city’s very first Director of Planning and Economic Development in January of 2022.  Since that time, we have made concerted efforts for commonsense changes toward meaningful economic development.  Some notable and exciting changes include:

  • The city’s purchase of a 46-acre parcel of land – that would likely otherwise have been sold to a housing developer – to be used for the purpose of an Industrial Park, and
  • The upcoming extension of Cypress Avenue in 2025

Site improvements on both parcels of land will help to attract new business and economic opportunities. 

Additionally, over the course of the last few years, we’ve seen several new businesses come to town for the overall betterment of our community.  Some examples include:

  • Dayton Freight – which brought many high-paying jobs that add to North Ridgeville’s tax revenues
  • RUF Briquetting Systems – which provided an opportunity to receive funding for road improvements
  • Lorain County Health and Dentistry, Italian Coffee, Niko’s Gyros to Go, Pulp Smoothie and Juice Bar, Ridge Barbershop, Tacos del Pueblo, The Point Spa & Salon, among several others.

A major initiative that was completed last year was the creation of the Ridgeville Ready! Master Plan.  A committee of residents, business owners and other community members – including myself – was formed to meet over the course of a 15-month period to establish this plan, which provides a foundation for budgeting decisions, zoning code changes, land development regulations and more.  This plan will be used as a guide over the next 15 – 20 years.  A special focus was given to the idea of a Town Center area that would become a focal point of the city.   Although much work must still be completed for this to come to fruition, the overall goal would be to create an area to include a mix of uses such as retail, office, civic, residential and community gathering spaces arranged in a walkable pattern.

I believe the residents of North Ridgeville desire, and would benefit from these types of development, in which additional retail and restaurant options would open their doors within our city limits.  In addition, I believe we must make a focused effort to attract light industrial and technological businesses to our community.  The fields of biotechnology and engineering, nanotechnology, robotics and other sciences are booming right now.  These types of employers would offer high paying jobs that would help our city gain additional tax revenues to provide greater services to our residents, without having to increase taxes across the board. 

As one of the fastest growing communities in the state of Ohio, North Ridgeville has drawn many educated and talented new residents over the last several years.  This fact, coupled with the many educational institutions in our area, including North Ridgeville High-Tech Academy, Lorain County JVS, Lorain County Community College / University Partnership, among others, presents North Ridgeville as a prime location for this type of economic growth and prosperity.

If re-elected, I will continue to ensure it is a priority for our city to create an even more inviting environment for these types of businesses to locate in North Ridgeville.  And I look forward to continuing to support these initiatives to further economic growth to help increase city revenues from the business community. 

Infrastructure Improvements

I believe supporting infrastructure improvements within the city is crucial for its growth, sustainability, and overall quality of life.  Improved infrastructure attracts investors and businesses, improves public safety, increases property values, and boosts connectivity, improving the efficient flow of goods and people within the city and surrounding areas.  Some notable improvements over the last 4 years, which I have supported include:

  • The roundabout projects at Chestnut Ridge and Alternate 83 and at Mills, Stoney Ridge and Avalon Drive
  • The paving of Center Ridge Road from city limit to city limit
  • More money appropriated than ever before for roadway maintenance and improvements throughout the city!
  • Many more miles of storm sewer maintenance, ditch/creek cleaning and bank work than ever before in our city’s history to improve the efficient flow of water during storm events to help prevent flooding that has historically plagued our community.

Traffic studies are either underway or have been completed for challenging areas in the city, which will yield improvements to improve the flow of traffic and enhance safety.  These areas include:

  • The Lorain Road and Lear Nagle Road intersection (and surrounding business entrances/exits), which is a high accident area that will need a comprehensive approach for meaningful improvements
  • Bainbridge Road and Root Road, which has been a challenging intersection for making left hand turns for decades due to low visibility

The city has also been awarded $26.25 million dollars in funding to construct an overpass over the railroad tracks on Race Road, which will provide an additional, much needed, north-south through street.  The elimination of this grade-level crossing will enhance safety and improve EMS response times by up to two minutes for certain neighborhoods on the west side of the city.  As we all know, when it comes to emergency responses, every second counts!

I look forward to reviewing legislation and helping in any way that I can to make these, and other, improvements a reality. 

Recreational Opportunities

A strong Parks and Rec Department is essential for enhancing the quality of life for the residents that live here.  Recreational opportunities are a key aspect of creating a well-rounded, healthy, and thriving community.  Recreational spaces, such as the North Ridgeville Senior Center, provide an opportunity for people to connect and build a sense of community.  Recreational programs for youth, such as those conducted at the Shady Drive Complex and Frontier Park, can provide a safe and structured environment which often teach teamwork, discipline, and leadership.  Access to parks, sports programs and walking paths encourages physical activity which improves physical and mental health and reduces stress and anxiety for people of all ages. 

During my time on Council, I have supported several initiatives that aim to improve our local parks system, including:

  • A new playground and new restrooms installed at the Shady Drive Complex
  • Improvements to pavilions and the construction of a brand-new playground at South Central Park
  • Approval of the upcoming addition of a paved parking lot at Root Road Park

I supported the acceptance of a grant to make ADA improvements to our Senior Center in 2024.  And I was proud to introduce legislation in 2024 to make the month of June Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month in the City of North Ridgeville.  This highlights the fact that North Ridgeville was designated as Lorain County’s first Dementia Friendly Community because of the efforts of our Office for Older Adults. 

An ongoing project to create a series of retention basins to slow down the flow of water into Mills Creek during storm events will also yield the opportunity to create a brand-new city park called The Mills Creek Conservation Nature Park!  I fully support this project and look forward to its completion to not only improve flooding concerns in this area of the city, but to also enhance recreational opportunities for our residents and beautify our community.

If I am re-elected, I will continue to focus on policies and programs that foster inclusivity and well-being, improving programs and park infrastructure, and promoting community engagement.  I hope to help our Parks and Recreation Department continue to thrive, and to enhance the services and spaces for our community!