Larry Ricketts, Springfield City Commissioner

I was invited to tour the Illuminate USA Solar Panel production plant in Licking County this past week. They produce many of the industrial solar panels used throughout the United States.
It is an incredible facility, employing hundreds of central Ohioans, with well paying jobs and full benefits.
Cleaner than coal, oil and natural gas, solar is a major part of our future energy needs.
Google their site for more information about this great company.

Thank you Springfield. I will give you my best effort.
I love this city.

Thank you, Springfield.
I do not take this position lightly.
It is a solemn responsibility and I intend to do everything I can to uphold the City Charter and move Springfield forward.
You may not always agree with some of the tough decisions we will need to make in the next few years and that is ok.
But know that I will always be available to listen to Springfield resident’s concerns and any ideas they may have to make us a better community.
Again, thank you.

I want to thank Mike and Talena Hill at Red Ball Specialty Printing for the absolutely amazing job they have done over the past eight months.
They have printed our shirts, buttons and yard signs to perfection. Our color scheme was not the easiest but they made it happen.

During a precinct walk yesterday, a gentleman relaxing on his front porch asked me “If I vote for you, what kind of commissioner am I getting?” We talked for about twenty minutes exchanging our backgrounds and here is a summary of my answer.

I was born and raised on the east side of Springfield. I am a product of the Springfield City School system, graduating from North High (Go Panthers).
My dad taught me about working for a living (he worked two jobs).
My mom taught me to try not to judge people because you never know what their life’s story is. She worked at Oesterlen Home with troubled youths for decades and knew what she was talking about.

I married my high school sweetheart and we have stayed together through thick and thin. She is what balances my life. We have one wonderful daughter, a great son-in-law and two fantastic teenage grandsons.

I worked for Clark County government for sixteen years before we moved to California and worked there in private business, including the environmental industry, for twenty five years.

We moved back to Springfield in 2015 and have been involved in many community organizations and projects since our return.

I am grounded in a sense of right and wrong, not because of any political or religious doctrine but by the simple gut feeling that if it hurts people it’s wrong and if it helps people, it’s right.

I am by nature, a very curious person. I like to read about why some things work and why other things don’t. I research as much as possible before making a decision.

It was nice to talk with him and he thanked me for not giving him a bunch of political “mumbo jumbo” and just talking about our lives and what makes us who we are.

If only it were possible to have this type of discussions with everyone.

What exactly, does the term community activist mean to you?
To both of us, it means getting actively (physically and financially) involved and becoming part of something bigger than ourselves.
Protecting our water? Sure. Advocating for clean energy? That’s an easy yes. Those are platforms we are best known for. But, what else do we “do” to support our community?
Since moving back to Ohio ten years ago we have tried to immerse ourselves in all things Springfield. Besides our involvement with People for Safe Water, we have actively volunteered for the Community Health Foundation, Second Harvest Food Bank, Jefferson Street Oasis Community Garden, Family Needs, United Senior Services, Springfield Arts Council, Tecumseh Land Trust, Clark County Combined Health District Solid Waste Advisory Board, Habitat for Humanity and most recently the Springfield Amos Project and Springfield 2051.
We financially support the Springfield City Schools Student Mentor Coalition, Springfield Symphony, Promise Neighborhood, On the Rise, Project Woman, Planned Parenthood as well as the groups we volunteer for.
Over the years we have met hundreds of selfless volunteers who willingly give their time to make other peoples lives better. They are truly inspirational and are the very definition of community activists.
Please, get or stay involved. Many of these groups need you now, more than ever.

Many people know me from my decades of work related to the proposed clean up of the Tremont Chemical Waste Barrel Fill. However, other people ask how a USEPA Superfund site north of our city is of concern to Springfield. I offer this brief overview:

From 1976-1980 as many as 51,500, fifty-five gallon barrels of hazardous materials were buried in the ground at a site just north of the Village of Tremont City. The barrel fill does not have a liner at the bottom.

Unfortunately, this site is located directly over the Mad River Sole Source Aquifer, which supplies drinking water to most of Clark County as well as the city of Springfield. In fact, the Springfield Water Treatment Plant is only three miles from where the barrels are buried. Each year, Springfield pumps three and a half billion gallons of water out of that aquifer for residents and businesses.

Testing in 2012 revealed that these barrels have started to deteriorate. If this site were left untreated, these chemicals would eventually find their way into the aquifer and potentially affect all of us.

The good news is that a Remediation Plan, under the direction of USEPA, Ohio EPA and in conjunction with the companies that buried the containers of liquid waste, is about to commence. This is a result of countless meetings, several court cases and determined negotiations between citizens groups, local public officials, state and federal agencies and the parties responsible for this threat to our water.

The even better news is that this very complex effort, costing almost fifty million dollars is being paid for by the principal responsible parties and not with tax dollars.

As a Springfield City Commissioner, I plan to see this project completed and our drinking water protected indefinitely.

From January of 1973 until the end of 1988, I worked for the Clark County Board of Commissioners. One of my significant accomplishments was the creation of the Clark County Disaster Services Agency (now known as the Clark County Emergency Services Agency), serving as its first Director from 1981 to 1985.

Working with local Fire/EMS Services, law enforcement agencies, hospitals and Red Cross leaders, we developed Clark County’s community wide disaster preparedness and response plans. At that time, I also assisted in the creation of Clark County’s first HazMat Response Team.

It was an honor to work with the many professionals associated with emergency response who dedicate their lives to protecting the people of Springfield and Clark County.

The election is in six weeks, November 4th.

Since filing petitions to run for the Springfield City Commission in February, I
have spent much of the last six months attending public gatherings, planning sessions, meeting with civic groups, participating in forums and visiting individuals. My purpose was to engage and listen to people of many different backgrounds in order to get a feel of where many of you think we are headed as a community.

Over the next few weeks, I will be posting brief (I promise) issue related topics, as well as background information on myself and how some of these ongoing conversations have shaped my thinking.

I plan on continuing my interactions with as many Springfield residents as possible not only over the next six weeks, but hopefully, over the coming years.

If you have a question or just want to make a comment, feel free to contact me at [email protected]. You can also visit our website at:

Larry Ricketts for Springfield City Commission | Political Candidate | Springfield, Ohio, USA Larry Ricketts is running for Springfield City Commission. Visit his website to learn more about Larry and how to support his campaign.

Thank you to everyone who came to our solar open house yesterday.
A huge surprise when my friend Chris Campbell Webster and her husband John, who were visiting from Mississippi, stopped by. Great to see them both.