2008-2009 Commission Members
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Chuck Patterson, Chair
With the departure of Gary L. Baker, II to serve on the Columbus Board
of Education, Chuck Patterson assumed chairman duties in 2008 and was
subsequently re-elected to that position for the 2008-2009 commission
year.. Chuck is
a life-long resident of the Greater
Hilltop community of cental Ohio, a graduate of Columbus West
High
School, the American School of Broadcasting and Hondros College. He is
an award
winning columnist for the Columbus Messenger newspapers, a former
radio
personality, a working voice-over talent, a CLEAN stand-up
comedian and
a working Realtor. He served as 2006 President of the
West/Southwest
Area Realty
Association, and is Past President of Southfield
Village
homeowners association, a former Board Member of Youthbuild Columbus
charter school, a former member of the Columbus Commission on
Ethics
and Values and Past President of the Greater Hilltop Resource
Center.
He currentlyu serves on the board of Imagine Schools Harrisburg Pike
Community School and Sullivant Ave. Community School. Chuck has been
recognized several times by the Ohio House of
Representatives
and Columbus City Council for his community service work.
Married in
1991, Chuck is an active and enthusiastic member of
Hillcrest Baptist church and he shares his life and home with
his wife, four children and two cats that contemplate his demise. While
the time for hobbies and leisure activities is minimal, Chuck enjoys time
with his children and “playing star” with his karaoke machine.
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Dave Horn, Vice Chair
Dave moved to
the Hilltop in 1994, having grown up in east Columbus. Dave is a graduate of Judson College in
Business Administration and a business owner. He is passionate about
building community and taking positive steps
toward economic redevelopment in the Hilltop. Dave is an active
member at Hillcrest Baptist Church and a Westgate
resident. In
addition to serving as
treasurer, he is the chair of the GHAC Zoning Committee. |
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Judy Manley, Secretary
Judy is a
lifelong resident of the Hilltop and a graduate of Columbus West High, The Ohio
State University (BSBA), and Xavier University, Cincinnati OH (M.Ed). In
addition to being a commissioner with the GHAC, she serves on the board of
several other Hilltop community groups, volunteers at Children's Hospital, is a
graduate of Leadership Columbus, is listed in several of the Marquis' Who's
Who publications, is a member of Westview C&MA church, and is a
graduate of the Columbus Citizen's Police Academy. |

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Mark Potts, Treasurer
Mark graduated from The Ohio State University
with a B.A. in Political Science in1994. He spent nearly eight years as a
Legislative Aide to various State Representatives in the Ohio House. Mark also
served as a Legislative Analyst for the County Auditors' Association of Ohio
and as a Legislative Liaison for The Ohio Department of Aging under Director
Joan Lawrence.
Mark currently serves the citizens as the Chief Deputy County Auditor to
Delaware County Auditor Todd A. Hanks. |
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Druelton Bagley
Dru was born in Columbus,
Ohio and was raised in Chicago, Illinois where she attended Englewood High
School and Illinois State
University, Normal, Illinois. Dru worked for the State of Ohio, Department of
Health for-30 ½ years where she retired in May, 2005. Dru is a graduate member
of the Columbus Citizens Police Academy, and past vice president of the Greater
Hilltop Resource Center and the Hilltop Residents Council. Dru was recently
re-elected to the Greater Hilltop Area Commission where she has served for six
years and served as Chair
and Coordinator, for the
Liquor Permit Ad hoc Review Committee where she developed the
procedures for
reviewing problematic liquor permits for the GHAC. Currently she
is Chair
of the Human Services and Education Committee where for the past four
years she
has conducted a series of Violence Prevention Activities within the
community
recreation centers, Highland Elementary after-school program and Common
Ground
Community Church.
She organized three Back-To- School events for which
the last event encompassing a rally and wellness fair. Dru Co-Chairs the Westside Community Health Advisory
Committee,
is a member of the AFSCME Retiree Chapter, a member of the Immigrant
and Refugee Women’s Health Project, the Columbus Neighborhood Health Center’s
Community Capital Connections Committee, the City of
Columbus Public Health Minority Health Local Planning Committee and most
recently appointed to be a member of the Residential Community Reinvestment
Housing Council.
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Justin Boggs
Justin is the co-coordinator
of the Ogden Avenue Blockwatch. He has organized neighborhood clean ups,
meetings, and the annual National Night Out celebration held by his blockwatch.
He also publishes the blockwatch newsletter. Justin was a member of the steering
committee that organized the Hilltop Safety Symposium in 2006. He won the
Columbus Dispatch Jefferson Award in 2005 and was also a recipient of a Kohl’s
Kids Who Care Award in 2005. Justin is the Assistant Editor of Cougar News,
Columbus State's student newspaper, and works as a Science Presenter at COSI
Columbus, where he had previously volunteered for several years. Justin has
lived on the Hilltop all his life. He currently chairs the GHAC's Public Safety
Committee
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John Contonio
Originally from Worcester Massachusetts, John moved to Columbus in 1987. John lives with his wife of 14 years, Stephanie,
and their three children, eight year old twin daughters and a six year old son,
all three children attend Westgate Elementary.
John works in the Member Services department of the School Employees
Retirement System. John has served as
blockwatch caption for the WOW (N. Wheatland, N. Oakley, and N. Wayne) blockwatch,
organized Special Olympic events, is an adoption advocate and for three years was
volunteer Big Brother. John is
presently working towards a degree in Business Management and Human Resources from
Franklin University. John’s
philosophy is: it is not enough to live in a community; you need to become part
of that community.
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Tasha Corson
Tasha graduated from Columbus South High school
in 1987 and married west-sider Greg
Corson. They have two children and have called the Hilltop home for
more than 17 years. Tasha is a member of Immanuel Baptist Church
and she has been involved with several area organizations,
including the Hilltop Business Association, where she served as secretary
and volunteer coordinator for the Historic Hilltop Bean Dinner. She was one of
three founding members of the Greater Hilltop Resource Center, Inc. and
founder of Camp Chase Block watch where she served as coordinator for
the first five years. She is a graduate of the Citizens police academy,
past member of friends of the Hilltop, Ohio crime prevention
association, Safe Kids Collation, Columbus community safety board,
G.H.A.L.A., The Williams Syndrome Association, and the National
Spelogicial Society. Currently, Tasha enjoys service to the community. She is
the owner/operator of TLC Home Services.
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Joe Decker
Joe is
a writer who lives in Westgate with his wife, Kristi, and daughters, Jocelyn
and Sophia. In addition to volunteering at Westgate Alternative Elementary
where his daughters attend school, he also coaches in the St. Mary Magdalene
Summer Baseball League. Joe was brought up in a family with a strong sense
of community and dedication to service. He is hoping to be able to further
serve his community through election to the Greater Hilltop Area Commission.
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Steve Hermiller
Mr. Hermiller was born in the rural farming community of NW Ohio. He
Graduated in 1995 from the University of Toledo and currently is a
Professional Civil Engineer in 5 States. He served as past president and
officer in ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers-Cincinnati Chapter);
Alumni of the City of Columbus Chamber of Commerce- "Leadership/Focus
Columbus"; he is active in many societies ie. NAIOP (National Association of
Industrial and Office Properties), ICSC (International Council of Shopping
Centers) and ULI (Urban Land Institute). He is an annual judge for students
statewide at the "Future City Competition" at COSI each year. Steve moved
with his wife to Westgate in 2003 to start their family. He is a member of
"The Potter's House"-Church of God" and is a "care ministry" team leader for
those in need. He enjoys sports, woodworking, skiing and mostly spending
time with his family. Steve hopes to use his skills and client resources to
assist Greater Hilltop in having its voice heard and shortening the
timeframe for redevelopment, sparking economic growth within the community.
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Jennie Keplar
Jennie has spent most of her life on the Hilltop and is proud to be a
second generation member of the GHAC. A West High School graduate,
Jennie has been very active in the community for most of her life,
serving as a volunteer for Hilltop Historical Society, Columbus
Metropolitan Libraries, Music on the Hill, Hilltop Reunion
Committee, COSI, Project Open Hand Columbus, and The American Red
Cross. Jennie currently works as Imaging Specialist in the OSU
Department of Graduate & Professional Admissions.
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Sue Laughlin
Sue is a
long time resident of the Westside and a graduate of Franklin Heights
High School and Ohio State University, where she majored in
Sociology. She is a board member of Friends of the Hilltop and has
participated in numerous neighborhood clean up efforts. She is a block
watch captain for the Camp Chase block watch. Her interests lie in
working to improve the quality of life for all Hilltop residents and to
contribute to efforts to help the Hilltop achieve its full potential.
As a member of the Greater Hilltop Area Commission, she serves as Chair of the
Recreation and Parks Committee.
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Bob Spears Jr.
Bob is a
fourth generation funeral director with Jerry Spears
Funeral Home. His interests in joining the commission come from his desire to
see improvement in the areas of economic development, public safety and a great
interest in the history and pride of the west side. He graduated from St.
Cecilia School, Bishop Ready High School and Ohio State University. Bob is a
member of the Hilltop Business Association, Moose Lodge #11 and the Ohio
Funeral Directors Association. In addition to his duties at the funeral home,
he is a color analyst for Ohio State baseball games on The Ohio News Network
and WMNI Radio. Bob and his
wife Sarah have two children; Sydney and Brady.
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Stanley Thornburgh
I have been a Hilltop resident for almost 3 years. I am the
co-founder and co-coordinator of Westgate Heights, which
currently includes N. Roys, N. Chase and N. Powell Aves. Our
motto: "Community Spirit
Moves!" helps maintain a common thread of promoting a community focused on
community bonding, awareness, security, pride, and overall empowerment on
addressing issues of crime, illicit activities and personal and property
security. I hope to bring these ideas and especially the energy as a commission
member to the Greater Hilltop Area Commission. |
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Karen Whitman
Karen has lived on
the Hilltop for more than 50 years. She attended Westgate Elementary and West
High School. She spent most of her career working in the Greater Hilltop
Area. In addition to owning property and businesses in the community, Karen
was a real estate agent for almost 15 years. Karen has served as a member
of the GHAC for more than 15 years and she has been involved with National
Night Out since 2000. Karen was also a member of the Hilltop Resource
Center, Inc, She has served as Chair of the GHAC Safety Committee
and she helped in the organization of the Hilltop Safety Symposium that was
held at West High School. Karen is currently the executive secretary for
the Hilltop Business Association. She lives on Wicklow Road and hopes to continue serving the Hilltop community for many
years.
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