Rice has been a county commissioner since 2019 and was Montgomery County treasurer for more than a decade before becoming commissioner. She said that being a commissioner has been the honor and privilege of her life.
“I love public service and what Montgomery County Commissioners have the opportunity to do because we get to help thousands of people every day in so many different ways,” he said.
If re-elected, her priorities will remain jobs, housing and homelessness, and mental health and addiction prevention and recovery, she said. During her time as commissioner, the county expanded its workforce development by creating the mobile workforce unit and the Employment Opportunity Center at the Westown Mall. Rice said these projects and others help serve people where they are and also help fill important jobs in the area.
He also said he wants to continue investing in young children and their families to give them the best chance to be ready for school. Having the tools to succeed in school from a young age puts a child on the path to becoming a successful adult, she said.
The county has faced many challenges in recent years, including dealing with multiple tornadoes, water outages and the COVID-19 pandemic, and Rice said she is proud of how the county has addressed those issues.
“I think we have responded well in the last four years. I have a lot of things that I’m still interested in because, as a county commissioner, there are a lot of different things you can do. I understand the county government. I have a proven track record over the last 16 years of following through on the things I say I will do. And these are difficult, difficult and complex problems. We don’t necessarily solve them, but we move them in the right direction. And we constantly apply and leverage all of our resources to get the best possible results for our citizens.”
Jordan Wortham
Wortham decided to run for office because he wants to change the status quo, he said in a Dayton Daily News voter guide.
“We have too many career politicians consumed with re-election, special interests and political parties,” he said. “The three seats on the Montgomery County Commission have been made up of all endorsed Democrats for several decades. However, this is not a true reflection of the county. Institutions controlled by one party lead to a lack of transparency, accountability, and checks and balances.”
Currently working as an investor and trader in security stocks, he said he is a born fighter who has been successful in his careers in law enforcement and business.
He said if elected, his priorities will be to cut red tape, business development and make county government more effective. Getting rid of “overly cumbersome regulations and minimizing taxes” will help attract entrepreneurs and business investment, Wortham said, adding that he will focus on changing “outdated policies that burden the system and people” and “make technology upgrades to reduce the time of delay and unnecessary expenses. obstacles for government workers and the people.”
Wortham said he is the right person for the job.
“The average age on the board is 70, I’m 33. I will bring a refreshing approach and a lot of energy to the board. I have a different passion, vision and willingness to adapt to new things compared to current Democratic board members,” she said.
Wortham was fired as a Dayton police officer in 2019 after he was accused of making a false statement during an investigation into an off-duty interaction he had with two officers. He has appealed that termination.
Wortham previously said he is proud of his law enforcement career, but declined to be interviewed for this story.
