Oberlin City Council 2008-2009
City of Oberlin residents elect a seven-member city council from at-large seats. Councilmembers serve a term of two years. They appoint the City Clerk who records the public meetings. Councilmembers are part-time civil servants who do not maintain offices at City Hall but, rather, serve their constituency through personal contact. See below for more information on each Council member.
Oberlin City Council meetings are held at 7:30 pm on the first and third Mondays of each month. The public is invited to attend. The meetings are held in City Council Chambers located in City Hall, 85 South Main Street. See the City Calendar for the dates and times of meetings. Those who would like to relay a question, comment or concern to Council may do so at the meetings or by contacting them at the information listed below. Anyone interested in placing an item on the agenda for discussion should submit their requests to the City Manager's Office, City Hall, 85 South Main Street, Oberlin, Ohio 44074. These requests should be received no less than seven days prior to the meeting date. If you have any questions, please contact the City Manager's office at 440 775-7206.
David E. Sonner, President
Address: 94 Groveland St.
Phone: (440)774-4122
Email: dsonner@cityofoberlin.com
Profile: First term on City Council (this time)
Education -- Lots and lots of credit hours from Ohio State, Cleveland State, LCCC. No degree.
Occupation -- Real Estate broker and investor.
Resident of Oberlin since mid-1960s
Training and Experience:
2006-2007 – City-College Wind power Study Group
2005-2006 – Oberlin Comprehensive Land Use Study Task Force
2003-2007 - City of Oberlin: Open Space Commission
2004-2007 – City of Oberlin Design Review Committee
2004-present – Lorain County Black River Watershed Advisory Committee
1972-1977 – Oberlin Resource Recovery Committee
1971-1972 – City-College New Towns committee member
1971-1979 – Member of Oberlin Council, Vice-chairman of Council, 1976-79.
1970-1971 - City of Oberlin: Chairman, Open Space Commission
John F. Baumann, Vice President
Address: 64 East Lorain Street
Phone:
(440)774-1918
Email: JackBaumann@cityofoberlin.com
Profile: First term on City Council (this time)
Education – B.S. Education, Ohio State
Occupation – High school government teacher, retired
Resident of Oberlin for 42 years
Training and Experience:
1995 – present – President of the Oberlin Civic Improvement Corporation. (OCIC) promotes the city's industrial and commercial development.
1991-1993 – Participated in the Mid-Range Strategic Planning Process. Member of the Financial/Economic Development Task Force.
1982 – 1994 – Member and Chair of the Oberlin Public Utilities Commission.
1989 – Chair of "Save the Roundhouse" Committee.
1973 – 1979 –Member of Oberlin City Council; Chair in 1979.
1965 – 1993 – Government teacher, Steele High School, Amherst
H. Scott Broadwell, Council - At - Large
Address: 39 King Street
Phone: (440) 775-4241
Email: sbroadwell@cityofoberlin.com
Profile: First term on City Council
Education – Oberlin Public Schools, class of 1974; Bowling Green State University, B.A. 1982.
Occupation – Painting contractor
Resident – Lifelong Oberlinian
Training and Experience – Former Member and Chair of the Oberlin Housing and Renewal Commission, Former Trustee of the Oberlin Heritage Center, Lorain County Community Board Agency.
David R. Ashenhurst, Council - At - Large
Address: 148 Elm Street 1st Floor
Phone: (440)935 -0370
Email: dashenhurst@cityofoberlin.com
Profile - Second term on City Council.
Education -- graduate of Ray Elementary and Kenwood High Schools, Chicago, Illinois; Bachelor of Arts degree with honors, The University of Pennsylvania; graduate studies at Temple University (Philadelphia)
Occupation -- self-employed consultant in public and nonprofit management
Resident of Oberlin since 1995
Training and Experience: More than twenty-five years' employment in institutional grant making, fund-raising, and association management; recently spent three months as an Economic Development Specialist with the Lorain County Community Development Department; extensive volunteer and leadership service, including on the City's Human Relations Commission and as a member of the 2003-04 Charter Review Committee
Charles F. Peterson, Jr., Council - At - Large
Address: 283 Morgan Street
Phone: (440)774-4278
Email: cpeterson@cityofoberlin.com
Profile - Third term on City Council
Education -- B.A. (Philosophy, Morehouse College, 1992), M.A. (Philosophy, Interpretation and Culture, Binghamton University, 1995), Ph.D. (Philosophy, Interpretation and Culture, Binghamton University, 2000)
Occupation -- Associate professor of African Studies at the College of Wooster.
Resident of Oberlin since 2000
Training/Experience – City Councilmember since 2003. Does research in Political Theory and as an undergraduate and graduate student was involved in campus activism. Has dedicated adult life on working to find the solutions to concerns of communities in which he has lived. Councilman Peterson is the author of Dubois, Fanon, Cabral: The Margins of Elite Anti – Colonial Leadership. (Lexington Books 2007)
Ronnie J. Rimbert, Council - At - Large
Address: 331 South Pleasant Street.
Phone: (440)775-2343
Email: rrimbert@cityofoberlin.com
Profile: Fifth term on City Council (last term due to term limits)
Education -- Oberlin High School Graduate
Occupation – Business owner / operator A2PointB
Resident – Lifelong Oberlinian
Training and Experience – Oberlin Recreation Commission President; City Council Vice-President; 34 year umpire – OBSF; eight years Oberlin City Council
Sharon Fairchild - Soucy, Council - At - Large
Address: 143 E. College St. #402.
Phone: (440) 775-4031
Email: ssoucy@cityofoberlin.com
Profile: First term on City Council (this time)
Education – Graduate Oberlin High School, Ohio Wesleyan University. Graduate work at Ohio State, Kent State, Indiana University
Occupation – retired
Resident – Lifelong Oberlinian
Training and Experience:
30 years teaching and administration at Lorain County JVS in Adult Basic Education / GED programs. Past member of the Human Relations Commission, Board member of Oberlin Heritage Center, and Leadership Lorain County class of 2000
2004-2005 - City Councilmember.