VICTOR SENN SPEAKS AT PERRYSBURG CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CANDIDATES FORUM

Sep. 15, 2021 - Hi everyone, as Laurie mentioned, my name is Victor Senn and I wanted to start by saying thank you to the members of this chamber of commerce and to your staff, for putting this event together. I want to take my time today to tell you a little bit about myself, but I also want to leave plenty of time for your questions.

​

I am a graduate of BGSU’s college of business, and I now work as the Associate Director of Leadership Giving in the University’s Alumni Office. While I now work in higher education, I started my career in corporate sales and I have been to my fair share of chamber of commerce meetings.

My wife, Tiffany, and I live in the Three Meadows neighborhood and after we got married, we chose Perrysburg as the place we wanted to plant our roots. We did this in hopes that we can raise a family here and enjoy all of the things that so many residents have told me they and their families have enjoyed here over the decades.

​

So why am I running for City Council?

​

I was inspired at a young age to be a public servant. My father, both of my grandfathers and two of my uncles served their community as Cleveland police officers. When I knew that joining the police force was not going to be my path, I found opportunities to volunteer my time and got involved in my community. I found great fulfillment in seeing the work of the groups I was a part of turning into real results for local residents.

​

Over the past few years, I have reaffirmed this commitment by being a member of the City’s Historic Landmarks Commission, graduating from a program within the Toledo Chamber of Commerce focused on public leadership and serving as the current Chair of BGSU’s administrative staff council.

I have found so much joy in advocating for others so when I was considering running for City Council, the decision was an easy one to make.

​

As I have been speaking to residents the three things that have come up most in these conversations are the promotion of sustainable development in the city, the enhancement of our green spaces and the support of our local businesses. Let me tell you what these things mean to me.

​

To promote sustainable development, the city should work on successfully executing a land use plan that right-sizes the city’s growth. Residents continue to share their concerns surrounding the rapid growth of the city but recognize that it will not slow completely. With this in mind, we should be invested in maintaining the sidewalks, streets, and other elements of our aging infrastructure and work to make sure that the growth that does happen, happens in areas where it makes sense, such as the 75/475 corridor.

​

With consideration to enhancing our green spaces, I will be an advocate for multi-use paths and other opportunities for our community to enjoy the outdoor beauty of Perrysburg. Residents throughout the city have shared with me just how much they enjoy our parks and the recent addition of an inclusive play space as well as the possibility of new and unique park spaces is equally exciting. When the city offers the spaces and services that people want to participate in, residents remain happy, visitors long to become residents and our community is better off for it.

​

To describe what supporting local businesses means to me, I want to recognize the Chamber’s goals of improving the economic and civic vitality of our community, helping to strengthen the business community by acting as the unified voice of business and promoting and preserving the free enterprise system and I would like to address my plans to focus on these areas.

​

Improving the economic and civic vitality of our community should be central to the work of a city council member. This is because we know that a vibrant community provides resources for individuals and opportunities for businesses. Supporting the chamber and the visitor’s bureau to host events such as the farmers market that have been so popular with the community is just one way to work towards this. Just like the services previously mentioned, these events bring people to Perrysburg to support our businesses, but it is you the business owners that keep them coming back.

​

With the chamber being the unified voice of the business community, I believe it is important that the partnership between the city council and the chamber is strong. City council members have a responsibility to communicate the things happening in the chamber with residents. This promotes greater engagement from residents in our local business community that results in greater returns for your investment in our town.

​

Lastly, I recognize that government and free enterprise may not always go hand in hand. However, I also recognize the important role the chamber plays in our community. I will be a partner with each of you ensure that doing business in Perrysburg is as efficient as possible and that when you do business in Perrysburg, you can do it with the support of our residents.

​

As your city council representative, I look forward to serving you. I will be available to hear your concerns and deliver solutions to the issues you care about most. However, our partnership starts today. I appreciate your time and consideration this morning, but I’m not only asking for your vote on November 2nd. I am asking for your help in building the Perrysburg that we want to leave for future generations. I’m Victor Senn. Thank you all.