Meet the candidates running for Oxford City Council this fall

Oxford City Council could have a turnover of four out of its seven members with the election fast approaching this fall. Only two incumbents are fighting for another term in their seats. Councilor David Prytherch and Vice-Mayor Chantel Raghu are termed out, leaving two guaranteed spots for new council members.

Each council member cited prevalent issues in their campaigns throughout the last few months: affordable housing, local art, environmental initiatives, etc. After the candidates met with Associated Student Government members on Oct. 14, The Miami Student spoke to each candidate individually about Miami University-focused issues, and how each candidate plans on representing Miami students through their council position.

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Glenn Ellerbe Jr.

Glenn Ellerbe Jr. sat down at Kofenya with a 16-ounce iced beverage, what he dubbed to be his special drink. The milky green concoction consisted of half chai tea, half matcha latte, made with macadamia nut milk.

“I can’t help that I’m boujee like that,” Ellerbe said.

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He said that nearly every weekend, he comes to the coffee shop and orders the same drink, sometimes with slight variations. He interacts with the student baristas working, while also talking to other students in the coffee shop, studying or grabbing lunch.

Ellerbe served on city council from 2015 to 2023, and ran for an Oxford Board of Trustees position in 2023. For him, a city council seat would mean resuming his mission of elevating student voices and meeting them where they are.

He spoke on the issue he has with Oxford residents talking about Miami students in an “us versus them” mindset, where they are not considered to be full-fledged Oxford residents. In the past, Ellerbe championed including students in the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area – or DORA – after its creation in 2020, and having events like Oxtoberfest while students are in town.

Ellerbe said he wants there to be formal and informal communication between him and students at Miami, where he can act as a liaison between council and the students.

“If I want to see some change, I can be the change – that's just showing up,” he said. “If I'm supposed to be elected as a public official and be a public servant, I should be in the community where people can reach me, and that goes for anybody in this community, including [students].”

Ellerbe discussed his commitment to Miami-based initiatives like MiamiTHRIVE and the Good Neighbor Protocol. He said he hopes to see more Miami students becoming politically active in local politics, and he encourages students to attend city council meetings or meet with him to discuss what is going on in their communities.

Alex French

After a bustling morning filled with meetings, Alex French took 15 minutes for a midday stretch to break up her busy day, which included taking a few laps around the office in her home. As the associate vice president of research and evaluation at Sandy Hook Promise nonprofit and a current city council member, French said her day to day schedule is often jam-packed, especially with the upcoming election.

“Running as an incumbent is great,” French said. “It’s definitely better than running for the first time. My campaign this time around is really a continuation of what I've done in my first term, which is reaching out to professors at Miami to loop students in on specific projects.”

Having served her first city council term from 2021 through 2025, councilor French is looking for a second term to finish projects she’s started, including the OATS n' Honey 5k and 10k race, taking place in the spring. Next year will be the third year of the race, which French said would not be possible without participation from Miami students, specifically sport leadership and management majors in Facilities and Event Management in Sport (SLM 414/514).

A former Miami student herself, French also discussed meeting students where they are at, not having them come to council for information. This includes class visits and a potential table at Megafair to speak with students about what projects council is working on.

“Students live here, and they are also our constituents,” French said. “They have very valid concerns, and they experience town in a different way than the full time resident, so by not hearing their concerns, not listening to what they're seeing, then we're not accounting for all perspectives about the ways that we can make Oxford better.”

James “Jim” Vinch

James Vinch, more commonly known around town as Jim, considers himself to be a proud Miami alumnus. Sporting a loud red Miami hat, Vinch said that he loves his alma mater, and wants to give back to the community through public service. He returned to Oxford two years ago after working for the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., for 25 years, and he has been teaching at the university since.

“I love Miami and love Oxford, and I want to have more interaction with students,” Vinch said. “It was really the student relationship that brought me back here.”

Vinch said if he is elected, he will work to prioritize reviving the Student/Community Relations Commission in some capacity, which was disbanded at the Sept. 2 city council meeting due to low participation from students. However, before this commission can be revamped, Vinch said students must take the first step in providing what ways they would like to be involved with city decisions.

“My philosophy is that I’m willing to do whatever the students think is in their best interest,” Vinch said. “If they want to have regular meetings with council members on campus, I'm fine with that. If they want some other format, I'm also fine with that.”

Roxanne Ornelas

At one of the Meet the Candidates sessions on Miami’s campus, Roxanne Ornelas was approached by a student.

“[The student] said he had walked, I guess, down High Street to the corner of High Street and South College Avenue, and he looked across the street and – for some reason – felt he somehow was confined to the Mile Square… like he couldn’t go beyond it,” Ornelas said.

Ornelas quickly encouraged the student to burst out of the High Street bubble and discover all that Oxford has to offer, including the Oxford Community Arts Center, located on South College Avenue. She is on the Board of Trustees and the exhibition committee for the center. She said she encourages students to explore the different opportunities for community involvement.

“There’s just so much that over there that students can take advantage of,” Ornelas said. “One of the reasons that I decided to run was because of the quality of life that we enjoy here, and to talk about the things that make living in Oxford so great.”

A former associate professor in the Department of Global and Intercultural Studies and the Department of Geography, Ornelas said she used to actively encourage students to participate in events hosted throughout Oxford by making them class assignments, or promoting their flyers on her Canvas page. With a seat on city council, Ornelas said she plans on continuing to make information about Oxford-hosted events more accessible to students.

Amber Franklin

Members of the Oxford community can find Amber Franklin sitting to the immediate left of Mayor William Snavely every first and third Tuesday of the month at city council meetings, often intertwining her campaign phrase “Lift Every Voice” in the initiatives she discusses. Franklin has served on council since 2021, and she is looking to enter a second term come Nov. 4 to continue spearheading one of her favorite community initiatives: Living Room Conversations.

“A lot of what I’ve done [revolves around] intergroup dialogue on current issues that impact students in the community,” Franklin said.

These conversations are held with different groups around campus, including the Menard Center for Democracy, Office of Residence Life, the Interfaith Center and the former Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion, and they are open for all members of the community. Topics include civic engagement and renewal, cancel culture and the current political climate.

“[These conversations] are just an opportunity for me to represent a faculty member, but also a faculty member who's very engaged in the city,” Franklin said. “A lot of students don't really know about the events that are going on in the city, so it's an opportunity for me to let them know about events that they can participate in.”

Franklin, an associate professor and lead advisor in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, said her position as a faculty member at the university allows her to understand what students are going through and thus represent their needs at city council meetings.

“I have my pulse on student issues and concerns,” Franklin said. “I know the students in multiple capacities. I go to the Rec center – that’s where I work out. I see [students] at Kroger. I spent a lot of time at Kofenya … I really am integrated into the community on multiple levels.”

Through her renewed seat on council, Franklin said she hopes to continue her intergroup dialog on current issues, as well as actively encourage students to get involved with the many boards and commissions Oxford has to offer.

Jon Ralinovski

After running for city council in 2023, Jon Ralinovsky said he is using this election cycle to get his name back on the ballot in hopes to secure a city council seat. Although he suspended his campaign after failing to secure an endorsement from the Butler County Progressive political action committee, he said he is still committed to running for city council.

Ralinovski, a member of the Environmental Commission and the Parking and Transportation Advisory Board, said he would like to see more students engaging with community events and local Oxford issues.

“I’m happy to work with students … because the city and the university are so intertwined,” Ralinovski said.

He finds his Miami home in the College of Creative Arts as a piano technician for the Center for the Performing Arts, and said with a seat on council, he will strive to develop a working connection with Miami students.

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Early voting in Butler County opened on Oct. 7, and will run through Nov. 2. In order to vote early, residents of Butler County must be registered to vote and have with them an acceptable form of identification (an Ohio driver’s license, a state ID with current address, a United States passport, or any other valid ID specified on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website). All mailed absentee ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3.

Voting on election day will open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. Polling locations in Oxford include Kramer Elementary School, Talawanda High School, Talawanda Middle School and Marcum Hotel and Conference Center.

patelou@miamioh.edu