CTM Trustee elections will be held on Dec 1, 2014 from 6-7pm prior to the monthly CTM meeting in the same day. Elections will be held at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center (CCAC) on the 2nd floor. Current membership is required to vote, and memberships can be paid current on election day prior to voting. There are five 3-year Trustee positions open for election for terms beginning in 2014. There are five candidates vying for these positions. Candidate bios are noted below. Election results will be announced at the CTM meeting on Dec 1.
Clifton Town Meeting Trustee Candidates for 2014 Election
Nicholas Hollan
Community service has always been a priority for Nicholas Hollan. It was here in Clifton where Nicholas lived when he graduated from UC, volunteered with the American Red Cross following Hurricane Katrina and accepted a position as the Disaster Response Supervisor for our local Red Cross.
Nicholas is a graduate of the United Way’s Board Orientation & Leadership Development program and used that training to serve on the boards of United Cerebral Palsy, The Westwood Civic Association and Invest in Neighborhoods.
Nicholas was a candidate for Cincinnati City Council in 2009 and 2011 where he was endorsed by many organizations including the Cincinnati Enquirer and City Beat. In 2010 Nicholas was recognized in the annual “Best of” edition by City Beat as “The Best sign of intelligent life on the West Side”.
In 2010, Nicholas took out an SBA Loan and opened his own business in Roselawn. The Valley Dental Management Service employs 13 healthcare professionals and works closely with local Doctors and Surgeons to provide quality dental care to low income patients.
After the premature birth of his son in 2011, Nicholas chaired the Family Team committee for the March of Dimes in 2013 and 2014. Nicholas, Meghan and Preston were delighted to have purchased the Charles B. Russell House in 2012 and look forward to calling the Gaslight home for many more years.
John Juech
John Juech is a Clifton resident and home owner, raising his family in the neighborhood, who hopes to live in Clifton and help the community prosper for many years to come. Professionally, John currently serves as Chief of Staff to the Vice Mayor of Cincinnati, David Mann, also a Clifton resident for many decades. John has extensive experience in local, national and international politics, from advising Members of Congress and large corporations to running campaigns – such as the David Mann for Council campaign – to helping to set up democratic elections for the UN in in 2005 in Liberia, West Africa after a protracted Civil War. He has worked for the United Nations, the US Congress (don’t hold that against him), and in the private and non-profit sectors as well. Immediately prior to his current job, John was Vice President at Garten Rothkopf, an international consulting advisory firm based in Washington DC for four years. Prior to that, he served as a senior legislative assistant to US Congressman Bill Delahunt, a senior member of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee. He holds a masters in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
He will bring to Clifton Town Meeting a wealth of ideas married to practical experience with campaigns, public communication, fundraising, social media, and community development that can benefit the Clifton community. He also brings to CTM an understanding and relationships with key city of Cincinnati leaders at City Hall, in the City Administration, and throughout Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods from his work running the Vice Mayor’s office. Among his prior involvement with CTM and the Clifton Community is helping to organize the 2014 CTM golf outing, which raised a significant amount of money for the CCAC and working on a number of issues at City Hall of interest to CTM, such as the Woolper bike lane project, the Probasco Fountain, and the work on the future of Ludlow.
John has had the great privilege to travel to more than 60 countries and 46 US states. He lives on Belsaw Place with his wife Kate, a senior executive with the Clinton Foundation, and his daughter Josephine. Their family is expanding in early 2015 and plan to put down roots in the neighborhood, raise their kids, and be there for years to come.
Rama Kasturi
Dear CTM Members,
My name is Rama Kasturi and I am seeking your support in my bid to serve as a Trustee of the Clifton Town Meeting. Many of you know me from walking in and around Clifton and Burnet Woods with my dogs for the last eighteen years, being a parent at Fairview-Clifton German Language School, or working at the University of Cincinnati.
My husband, Erik Nelson, and I have lived in Clifton with our twin children for the past 15 years when we moved from our condo on Jefferson Avenue just on the other side of Clifton! We love the historic gaslight district and its astounding diversity and neighborly atmosphere. The proximity to several beautiful urban parks, a charming movie theatre, ethnic restaurants, diverse businesses, and a walkable grocery store all made Clifton the hands-down choice for my own home away from home.
A Biophysical Chemist by training, I have worked at P&G and at the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, where I taught Medical Pharmacology until last August. I am currently retired from professional life and I am actively engaged in doing as much good as I can.
With this in mind, I have decided to follow through on my desire to give back in some way to the community that my family and I so enjoy by seeking election as a Trustee of CTM.
I am specifically interested in the following:
1. Helping make the Clifton Cooperative Market a reality-every neighborhood needs a grocery store! I am an advisor to the board of the Clifton Market and serve on the Capital Campaign Committee.
2. Helping to making our business district and neighborhood more “green”: I have already been designated “Recycler-In-Chief” for CliftonFest 2015 (!). I will work to ensure that our businesses are greener and have volunteered to create community recycling opportunities at the Clifton Cooperative Market.
3. Ensure that the diversity of Clifton is showcased and celebrated: e.g., I would like to see flags on Ludlow representing the numerous countries whose citizens now call Clifton home! Where else in Cincinnati can you live and experience the diversity of Clifton?
If elected, I will do my best to do as much good as possible for Clifton over the next three years.
Shaun McCance
I moved to Clifton because I wanted to live in a friendly, walkable neighborhood with a vibrant business district. I continue to be impressed at how the people of Clifton come together to shape their neighborhood, and I’m proud to be able to play a small part in that.
I work as a programmer, technical writer, and community liaison for a major open source software company. I served two terms on the board of directors for a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to open source and digital freedoms. I spend my days working with volunteer communities to foster open source, promote open data, and protect people’s freedoms and privacy online.
For the last year, I’ve been involved with Clifton Market, the community-owned effort to bring a grocery store back to our neighborhood. I serve as the treasurer and general records keeper, and I handle much of the technology and design work. It’s been a rewarding experience that has given me the opportunity to get to know a lot of my neighbors.
I’m a firm believer in the power of open communities. I’ve seen time and time again what people can accomplish when they’re informed and engaged. As a CTM trustee, I’d like to explore ways to continue to increase community engagement, encourage open discussion among neighbors, and better promote Clifton online.
Michael Moran
Michael Moran is a native Cincinnatian who lived in Western Hills, Mount Adams and Oakley before moving to Oxford Terrace in Clifton almost nine years ago. He studied finance and accounting at the University of Kentucky and works as a commercial real estate broker for CBRE. He’s married to Abby Moran, and they have two children, Will (8) and Maisie (6). Mike has served one term as a Trustee on Clifton Town Meeting and currently holds the Treasurer’s position. Mike also sits on the Board of Tender Mercies, Inc, an organization that provides permanent and supportive housing to the homeless and mentally ill. Mike loves living in Clifton is currently involved in rehabbing a new home in the area for his family.
