Both candidates have years of government and community experience.
One other county commission seat is up next year. Incumbent Commissioner Melanie Flax Wilt, a Republican, has filed to run for her current seat unopposed.
A new jail
The current jail, located at 120 N. Fountain Ave., was found earlier this year in noncompliance with 16 standards, with officials reporting they could not comply with many of them unless and until a new building is constructed. The new facility would not only be a jail, but also a public safety building to include mental health treatment, the sheriff’s office headquarters, office space and a space from which vehicles can be dispatched.
Patterson, who spoke previously about the need for a new jail and public safety building, said the current facility is too small and not built for rehabilitation, which includes mental health and drug addiction treatment resources. Patterson said he is for “law and order.”
“It’s an investment in our community that we need to look at very closely in the coming years to make sure that the entire judicial system is appropriate for our county,” Patterson said. “If you look at it, most of the funding that the county commissioners control goes towards the criminal justice system, whether it’s the sheriff’s office, the jail, or the court systems.”
O’Neill said the current downtown location of the jail is convenient for transportation to and from the courts, but he expects to see a new one. He said he thinks contracting with the Tri-County Jail in Mechanicsburg would ease some of the burden on Clark County, though transportation would be an issue.
Haitian population
Springfield was thrust into the national spotlight when a claim went viral that Haitian immigrants — of whom 12,000 to 15,000 live in the area — were eating people’s pets. Law enforcement and city officials have said there is zero evidence to back these claims.
Patterson, as health commissioner, had worked on mitigating the impacts to the community with a large group of new people coming in causing some strain to infrastructure. He said social media makes it “too easy for people to pass on stuff that’s not true.”
O’Neill said he sees departments like Job and Family Services “getting killed” serving this population, but said this cannot be fixed internally without more funds. He said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s funds for medical needs are helpful, “but that’s just the beginning.”
Experience
O’Neill served on the Springfield City Commission for 32 years, losing reelection to newcomer Tracey Tackett last year. O’Neill is a Springfield native and Catholic Central graduate. His resume includes serving as a real estate developer/builder, restaurant owner and caterer.
O’Neill said his experience on the city commission has led to him being in the know about most everything happening in the community.
“Most of it’s been good; I’m happy and proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish as a (city) commissioner, and that’s why I decided, I’m not done yet ...” O’Neill said.
O’Neill and Patterson have both been part of efforts to clean up the Tremont City Barrel Fill. The 8.5-acre site in northern German Twp. was used to dump industrial waste from 1976 to 1979. It’s estimated over 1.5 million gallons of hazardous waste is buried at the location, which is adjacent to an aquifer that provides water to not only Springfield and Clark County, but much of southwestern Ohio.
Patterson has held positions in multiple counties, been involved with the state and testified in front of Congress in his health commissioner role, from which he retired after 23 years in the role in January. As health commissioner, Patterson worked on passing a countywide levy to fund the newly combined health district. He also managed Anthrax incidents, a mass flu shot clinic that vaccinated more than 7,000 people in one day, H1N1 vaccinations and challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Patterson previously served almost 10 years at the Ohio Department of Health. The health commissioner was born in the county and is an almost lifelong resident. He is a Shawnee High School and Wright State University alumnus.
Patterson said he knows city and county staff well and has attended numerous county commission meetings. He said if he were elected there would be no need for an introductory or easing-in period.
“My experience is knowing the people of Clark County and the city of Springfield both because I worked with both the city and the county commission and their staff, knowing about the Waste Management District, utilities, Department of Job and Family Services — all of whom I worked very closely with as health commissioner ...” Patterson said. “I’m not going to be trying to figure out where my seat is and how I fit in ...”
Patterson and O’Neill have worked together on various projects over the years, and both had good things to say about the other.
“I don’t think the county can go wrong with either one of us; we just have different ways of doing things,” O’Neill said.
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