3 candidates running for Huber Heights council seat in May
The two with the most votes in primary go on to November election.
Three candidates have announced they plan to run for Huber Heights Ward 3 council seat, all of whom applied for the seat when it became vacant last year.
Kathleen (Kate) Baker, current Ward 3 council member; Frank Wylie; and Joseph ( Joe) Hendrix are the three currently running in the May primary.
The primary is nonpartisan and the two people who receive the most votes will go on to the November election.
The Ward 3 seat became open in 2020 when former city councilman Seth Morgan moved out of Huber Heights and was no longer eligible to be on city council. Baker was appointed by the rest of city council in March 2020.
Kate Baker
Baker, 50, is the current Ward 3 city council member. She said she has been very involved in the city during the past year, including the Culture & Diversity Citizen Action Commission and the Military & Veterans Commission.
She also has worked to bring a BMX/skate park to Huber Heights and focused on economic development. If elected again, Baker said she wants to continue to attract more businesses and residents.
When asked what she saw as the role of local government, Baker said, “Making the lives of the residents better.”
Baker said she has always been interested in politics and volunteered with her local schools and churches for a long time before becoming involved with the city council.
“It matters to be a citizen in this community and to be active,” Baker said. “Because it’s never going to get better just complaining about it. Everybody has to pitch in and do their part.”
Baker has lived in Huber Heights all her life. She has one adult daughter and works at a local bank in commercial lending.
Joseph Hendrix
Hendrix, 38, is running on a platform of transparency and listening to the people.
“Transparency is more than just having information available, it’s making sure that people have that information, and that information is understandable,” Hendrix said.
It’s not reasonable to expect everyone to come to city council meetings all the time, Hendrix said. Council members should go out and talk to the people where they are. He has been engaging with people on Facebook while the pandemic is ongoing, he said, but he would eventually like to go out and talk to people in person.
He said the council seat was a way to represent the people in the city and get more involved, adding he liked “the kind of politics where you get things done.”
“I just want to see what I can do to make the world a better place,” Hendrix said.
Hendrix moved to Huber Heights in 2017. He and his wife, Beth, have two children, ages 3 and 1. He is a software engineer at Northrop Grumman.
Frank Wylie
Wylie, 45, attended several city council meetings in his role with the Huber Heights Athletic Foundation, which he said got him interested in running.
He wants to bring transparency, and open and honest government to Huber Heights.
“For a long time, people just don’t know what’s actually going on,” he said.
When he was getting signatures to run, Wylie said he also heard from people that they didn’t know who their council member was or thought that person was unapproachable.
“I really want to change that,” Wylie said. “I want to be accessible and approachable.”
He said he has connected with people, with COVID19 precautions, and hopes in the future for more of a town hall format.
He would also like to see the city continue to grow.
Wylie has lived in Huber Heights since 2011. He and his wife, Holly, have four children. He currently works at Brightview Health, a substance use disorder treatment facility, as a clinical supervisor.