Seven Democrats are seeking nominations for four seats on the Hilliard City Council in the May 6 primary race.
It’s a packed race in a community that was historically conservative but has shifted to be more liberal. This year’s Democratic primary also has three Muslim candidates in the running, including one candidate who believes she is the first Black woman Muslim to seek a spot on Hilliard City Council.
Development is one issue that is top of mind for many of the candidates.
“I think that we have a responsibility to develop. You know, every city has a responsibility to develop,” said current city council president and primary candidate Tina Cottone.
Political newcomer Tony Moog said that development provides the needed revenue to support the city’s initiatives.
And newcomer Dorothy Hassan said the only constant in life is change.
“So, development is inevitable,” Hassan said.
Hilliard is one of the fastest-growing suburbs of Columbus. How to develop responsibly became a major topic of conversation in 2023 when the city released its updated community plan.
The plan called for denser development, in part by rezoning parts of the city, including Old Hilliard and the Cemetery Road corridor.
“One of the things that we agreed upon as a council was that we would stop spreading out and that we would look at infill possibilities,” said Cottone, who helped get the plan approved.
"We have a responsibility to develop. You know, every city has a responsibility to develop."- Tina Cottone
Community plan
Not everyone in Hilliard was a fan of that plan. It sparked a countermovement called “Save Hilliard,” which opposed the suggested changes on the basis that they would disrupt Hilliard's character.
The candidates in the Democratic primary are largely for the plan, while acknowledging that residents need to have a say in the projects that happen in their neighborhoods.
“We have a great community plan. I just think that we just need to execute it,” said newcomer Nadia Rasul. “My vision is to make the community plan happen and to make sure that the development is what the residents want to see.”
Executing that plan would mean building homes like townhouses, alongside apartments, stores and restaurants.
Another political newcomer Samer Bazerbashi said Hilliard needs those different types of housing for people at different stages in their lives.
“We want Hilliard to be a destination for people to stay and age in place,” Bazerbashi said. “That's all great, but we need to be listening to our constituents.”
Taxes and commercial development
There’s a related issue at play - taxes.
“I think that the number one issue that I've heard residents say is that their taxes are too high,” Bazerbashi said.
Incumbent Andy Teater, who is city council's vice-president, said rising property taxes place too much of a burden on homeowners.
“What we can do on the city is we can continue to build our commercial tax base and that will help us relieve the pressure on our residents,” Teater said.
Political newcomer Kathy Parker-Jones agreed.
“Class A office space, medical offices, those types of things that can help bring in more tax revenue for the city, allows the city to grow responsibly,” Parker-Jones said.
Parker-Jones pointed to the Interstate 270 corridor as a good place for that growth.
"We can continue to build our commercial tax base and that will help us relieve the pressure on our residents.”- Andy Teater
BMW Financial Services Building
That’s also where the former BMW Financial Services Building is located. The building is the subject of a dispute between Hilliard’s sitting city council and Noor Islamic Cultural Center.
Noor bought the 226,000 square-foot office building at 5550 Britton Parkway in February with the intent to use it for a community center, prayer space, school and more. Hilliard City Council members denied a zoning change that would have made that possible, and now Noor is suing.
Teater, who voted against the rezoning, said the building used to be the leading source of income tax for the city, bringing in around $1.3 million a year. He believes that with the right company, that could happen again.
“For us to give up on that building now, I think would hurt all of our residents,” Teater said.
Parker-Jones said she wishes Noor would have waited to buy the building until they knew whether the needed zoning change would be approved.
She pointed to a similar situation in which Dublin City Schools considered buying a building from Cardinal Health. The school district entered into a one-year agreement to determine how feasible it would be to move into the building. Ultimately, Dublin City Council denied a needed zoning change, and the school decided not to buy the building, Parker-Jones said.
Parker-Jones said she also believes the former BMW Financial Services building could still bring in income tax revenue for the city, especially as more companies are calling remote workers back into offices.
Moog, who is on the city’s planning and zoning commission, and incumbent Cottone, declined to comment because of the lawsuit. The Muslim candidates in the race said they did not have an opinion about the dispute.
Bazerbashi and Rasul said they attend the mosque but aren’t involved in the conflict.
Representation
Rasul also said that while it’s great to be recognized as a Muslim candidate, she wants people to see her as more than that.
“I'm a pharmacist, I'm mom, and I'm representative of Hilliard, and then I happen to be Muslim,” Rasul said.
Hassan said that she doesn’t have enough information to form an opinion on the situation with Noor. She’s proud, however, to run as the first Black Muslim woman on Hilliard’s Democratic ticket.
“It just speaks to the fact that our Hilliard doesn't look the same way that it did 20 years ago,” Hassan said.
Rasul, Hassan and Bazerbashi are endorsed as a slate by the Hilliard Democrats PAC, a political action group, started this month with an address in Dublin.
That’s a different group than the Hilliard Democrats, who endorsed Cottone, Moog, Parker-Jones and Teater.
"Our Hilliard doesn't look the same way that it did 20 years ago."- Dorothy Hassan
Connecting neighborhoods
But despite the opposing endorsements, candidates have a lot in common. All say they’re longtime Hilliard residents who built careers and raised families there. Many of them want the city to be even more walkable and connected.
“I want to be able to feel like I can walk out of my neighborhood and get to downtown Hilliard,” Parker-Jones said.
Rasul, a recently retired pharmacist, has been riding her bike through Hilliard’s neighborhoods.
“My passion is health and wellness, and I believe that our city could be more connected,” Rasul said.
Bazerbashi said his family chose to move to Hilliard.
“We loved Hilliard so much. We chose to live here. And the walking paths are just really a great thing to be out in the outdoors when the weather's nice,” Bazerbashi said.
The candidates
So, with so much in common, what sets the candidates apart?
“I’m pretty sure I'm the only one here who's completed four Ironmans,” Parker-Jones said.
She is an educator of more than 30 years, who spent most of her career teaching in Hilliard City Schools before taking an administrative position with Dublin City Schools. Parker-Jones said she sets goals and then accomplishes them.
Bazerbashi pointed to his background in finance and technology. He’s a leader at T-Cetra, a retail network. Bazerbashi said the company serves 10,000 businesses nationwide.
“So, I do have a lot of business background in terms of technology, scaling, business administration, those types of things, which help with the professionalism of the city growth,” Bazerbashi said.
Moog lists a slew of volunteer and leadership roles. He has been involved with Hilliard Rotary and the Hilliard Education Foundation. He’s been on the city’s planning and zoning committee for two years.
“So, I've really gotten an inside view on kind of how cities makes decisions and the process that goes through that.”
Rasul said she is the only health care professional in the running. She said now that she’s retired, she has plenty of time to dedicate to the city.
"I believe that our city could be more connected.”- Nadia Rasul
Hassan is the CEO of the nonprofit Our Helpers, a women-lead group that helps immigrants and refugee families in central Ohio.
“I've been able to weave communities. And here in Hilliard, we're one of fastest growing cities in Franklin County, and that means that we've got different pockets of people being attracted to Hilliard for different reasons,” Hassan said. “But we have to make sure that we're doing a good enough job weaving those communities so we can always be one Hillard.”
And the incumbents point to records of success.
While on council, Cottone is proud to have kicked off an initiative to help seniors age in place. She started a nonprofit “village” where younger folks can help older residents with tasks like grocery shopping, changing a lightbulb or taking out the trash. Cottone hopes the village will have a soft launch this September.
“You know, it can't always be a choice between having to go into some cognitive setting for like a nursing house. There has to be another way that people can grow older,” Cottone said.
Cottone is finishing up her first four-year term.
Teater, who has been on city council for 12 years, said people know him.
“People know me. I have a track record that people know. I think it's a track record of being reasonable and sensible and doing what's best for the community at all times. And that's what I'm putting out there this time,” Teater said.
