2025 Candidate Questionnaire on
Environmental Sustainability

Candidate Responses:  Ben Anthony
[email protected]

  1. Background
    What would you like Grandview residents to know about your background, as it relates to the environment, climate, and conservation?  If applicable, please describe any  relevant educational, career, or service experience you have.

    My love of our nature and wild places began in scouting. It opened doors to backpacking, fishing, and kayaking which are still my favorite pastimes. It's why my wife and I named our daughter after John Muir. Exploring and protecting wild spaces will always be a part of me thanks to those years as an Eagle Scout. Even in my lifetime, I have seen the effects of climate change and human intervention in nature. Those effects are not only affecting our far off places. We can see the changes in our own backyards and parks.

    In my career as Director of Community and Civic Engagement for the OSU Medical system, we planted more than 50 native trees in the Near East Side neighborhood in the past several years. Tree canopy helps protect neighborhoods from worse air quality and higher summer temperatures. It is just a piece of the work we do to support neighborhoods who have been previously harmed.

  2. Priorities
    If elected, what are the top environment-related priorities you will pursue, if any?

    I serve on the Grandview Heights Parks Advisory Board. Working in the social determinate of health world, I know how important green, active spaces are for mental, physical, and community health. That is why I want the City of Grandview Heights to start the new parks master planning process as soon as possible. We have outstanding nature in our town. Lets build a plan that doubles down on that nature through smart, achievable work to increase tree cover, native plants, and a way for our children to explore the natural world.

  3. Climate Action Plan
    Several cities/municipalities across Central Ohio have adopted climate action plans, which principally are done to assess their greenhouse gas emissions, identify steps to mitigate these emissions, and enact a plan to implement those steps.  Should Grandview pursue a climate action plan?  Please elaborate on your position.

    Grandview Heights has a responsibility to understand its environmental impact. Just like each of us individually as well as corporations and all levels of government. We know our world is changing and it is because of human impacts, especially and including our use of fossil fuels. Grandview Heights needs to collect and know its data regarding any environmental impacts from the City’s efforts, including greenhouse gas emissions. That is just one of the common sense steps that we should investigate. Aside from knowing our data, we should always investigate climate friendlier options when making city purchases and do what is possible within the scope of Council to open the doors to renewable energy. Once we establish that foundation, I think we could explore a proper Climate Action Plan, but I always want us to look for understanding and progressive improvement in how we protect the environment and serve the people of Grandview Heights.

  4. City-Resident Partnerships
    How well does the City work with residents to source community input in guiding policies and programs relating to sustainability?  As a councilmember, would you seek any changes in our current partnerships?

    This is something I am passionate about. My profession has been community for nearly 15 years now. I am a community organizer at heart and if you want to help shape our community’s future, I want to welcome you to the table. We may not agree every single time or our recommendations may not always be implemented, but you should always be welcomed and heard by your city government. I want to lead as a neighbor. That means inviting and listening to those who want to contribute to a better future for Grandview Heights.

  5. Renewable Energy Aggregation
    In November of 2023, Grandview Heights voters passed Issue 23, which authorized the city to implement an electric aggregation program for residences and businesses, featuring 100% renewable electricity. Do you support the continuation of this program, and would you make any changes to it?

    I voted for this program and believe that many of our issues in society can be solved by collective action. I worry that these programs will be greatly held back by our state leaders refusing to solve very real energy problems with obvious, affordable, and rapid clean energy options. Their continual focus on insisting coal and natural gas are this state’s only option is incredibly short-sighted and will hold back the effectiveness of community-based solutions of all kinds.

  6. Biodiversity Loss
    Many residents are concerned about biodiversity loss and wildlife decline.  For some examples, it has been estimated that birds have declined by about 30% and insects by as much as 75% in the past several decades.  Do you believe that Grandview Heights can or should take part in addressing this issue?  If so, please elaborate.

    I absolutely think there are cost effective, durable, steps we could look to make in the parks master plan that I want to enact. Even something like bird and bat housing or native pollinator gardens where it makes sense logistically could be achievable steps to do what we can as a city of our size.

  7. Plants
    Related to Question 6, a growing scientific literature has demonstrated the importance of native trees and plants in supporting our ecosystem, while exotic invasive species pose significant threats.  What steps, if any, should the City take to promote native plants and control invasives, both on public and private property? 

    As a former landscaper I know that when planting, it can often be to prioritize ease of maintenance and care to minimize tax payer impact. I absolutely think we should continue to do so, but always exhaust our options for native plants first. As for controlling invasive species, a city like Grandview Heights has limited capabilities in fighting full scale war against invasives that are unfortunately all over our state. In our parks as a part of maintenance, we should remove what we can and adopt best practice on how to minimize invasives returning. I also think this is where we should act as a community. If we see a problem with invasives in a park or want native plants, we should offer to volunteer time in keeping Grandview natural and beautiful. Count on me for a shift or two.

  8. Walking, Biking, and Transit
    Do you believe Grandview is a safe and easy place to walk, bike, and take public transit?  Should we take steps to provide safer routes for walking and biking?  Should we work to broaden public transit options?  Are you happy with our sidewalks?  Who should be responsible for maintaining sidewalks?  What is your position on e-bikes and scooters? 

    This is a cornerstone of my campaign. Grandview is the perfect community for a robust collection of multi-modal options. Grandview has a great baseline for being able to navigate this community via bus, walking or biking, but there is more to be done. We need to comprehensively study traffic flow, automobile speed, and parking in this community. This includes the feasibility of electronic scooters and bikes, assuming we can integrate them into our community without them becoming a nuisance and limiting accessibility for those with physical handicaps.

    There is so much best practice in urban planning that can slow car speeds, open up options to encourage non-car mobility (especially in the last mile) and most importantly, keep people safe. In a city without school buses, our routes to school should be especially understood and protected with dedicated bike lanes, speed mitigation and a comprehensive network of sidewalks.

    There should be policy and funding changes at the state level to mandate sidewalks as critical city infrastructure. However, given the current state of the Ohio Revised Code and a stark rescinding of investment in municipalities, unfortunately, I don’t think it is fiscally feasible for us or the vast majority of localities across Ohio to be solely responsible for sidewalks without increasing city revenue. If that is currently the case, we need to establish transparent processes that work with our neighbors when maintaining our sidewalks. That is where my experience in community engagement would allow us to create a process that centers community input and offers flexibility in timing, payment, and contractors to maximize the ease for residents to help maintain this critical infrastructure.

  9. Waste
    Is Grandview doing well at diverting waste from the landfill?  Should we try a curbside compost pilot program like other cities have done?  Please elaborate on your positions.

    As the only labor endorsed candidate in this election, we should always stand up for those who take care of us. We know and love those who manage the waste collection in this city and we should always help care for those who care for us. We should be proud of the recycling efforts in Grandview. We need to encourage our neighbors to utilize the food waste, pumpkin, christmas tree, and yard sign recycling programs that currently exist in Grandview Heights. I would absolutely be open to (and use) a curbside composting program, but would want to know how the costs and impacts for it would compare to some of the earlier issues around climate mitigation and native plants that I mentioned.

  10. Lawn Care
    Quite a few of our members want to know your thoughts about gas-powered lawn equipment, particularly leaf blowers.  It has been estimated that using a gas-powered leaf blower for 30 minutes produces about the same pollution as driving a large pickup truck from Texas to Alaska.  They are also loud, often exceeding 90 decibels.  Since 1990, leaf blower usage has doubled, and there has been a trend toward more powerful models.  Some of our members state that they cannot enjoy outdoor spaces during the day due to the air and noise pollution.  For similar reasons, over 100 cities in the US have enacted bans and/or restrictions on gas-powered leaf blowers.  Please share your thoughts about this issue.

    I have used, sold and owned both 2 and 4 cycle as well as battery powered lawn equipment. As a former landscaper and Ace Hardware manager, I know and appreciate these tools well. However, even with improved 2-cycle carburetors after the Obama administration, the issue is that much of the fuel in those motors is unburnt. That leads to their unique pollution problem.

    The good news is that battery powered products are now capable enough to handle most all residential needs. They are just as powerful, affordable, and reliable as their gas-powered peers. I am excited to see this transition take place due to improved technology and the ease of maintenance for battery powered equipment. That said, I strongly believe in people’s right to repair their own tools and equipment. It helps reduce unnecessary consumption and minimizes companies ability to incentivize planned obsolescence in products. As such, I wouldn’t be comfortable mandating that anyone be forced to replace their gas powered equipment.

    I absolutely understand the concerns around noise as well and am in favor of community quiet hours for gas powered equipment, both commercial and residential. I would also be in favor of educating our neighbors about how far battery powered lawn equipment has improved to encourage residents to switch when it is time to replace their older tools. We should also give points to contractors who prioritize environmentally friendlier equipment.