Heath Watkins for Galion City Council

10/25/2025

Down to the last 10 days or so before the election I would like to tell you a little about myself and what GALION MEANS TO ME. In my previous posts I have outlined my platform and what I will work to achieve as Council At Large representative. This is an attempt to paraphrase my “Galion experience”.

My mother’s family has deep roots in Shelby (not my fault, lol). My father’s family was a mix of Shelby and “the sticks” of Richland County. I grew up living in Galion, Shelby and a handful of other states. As a student at Galion I envied my friends that would be greeted by teachers and members of our community with “I know your mom, dad, brother, sister, etc..”. I loved my childhood in Galion and dreamed of being “from Galion”. There was truly no place I’d rather live. My HS years were the golden years to me, 1985 State Champs, the Pickle Run Festival, Saturday nights at Amens Reservoir, etc…

My grandmother lived at Crawford Square Apartments on the EAST END of town. We lived at grandma’s apartment a few times between houses. I loved my time on the East Side with Yunkers, Slones and our friends.

I went to North School on and off from 1st grade through 5th grade. I lived on about every street of the NORTH SIDE. We played football in the “church parking lot” and left a lot of skin on that asphalt. My north side friends were far too many to list. 🙂

I went to Wilma Crawl for a short time in 4th grade. I lived at Libby Lane Apartments. We had a blast on the SOUTH SIDE playing in the halls, the fields, of course football, with the Damrons, Crases and many others.

I went to Renschville in the 6th grade. I refer to this as my “Norman Rockwell” days on Cherry Street. Being a part of the “Cherry Street Gang” was my WEST SIDE story. My friends Shawn, Doc, Adam, Hojo, Lunsfords, and so many more.. became life long brothers. I still visit the “Church Field” and imagine Doc tackling me in the thorns. lol

Galion was not my place of birth (Shelby). I know what its like feeling like the outsider. I wasn’t born into it. I made it my DNA through determination, positivity and a relentless desire to be a Galionite above all else. I love this town and it will forever be my home. I’m not under any illusion that Galion is not without its flaws or challenges. I’m just of the unwavering commitment to doing my part to make it a little better each day.

Thank you and I’d like your vote on November 4th for Galion City Council At Large.

10/23/2025

In 12 days our community will vote for a new Mayor and new City Council. The challenges ahead are many and the opportunities have never been greater. I want to thank our current elected officials for the progress made on many fronts. At the same time I see an opportunity to move forward and not do as has “always been done”.

On the challenge side of the equation all our needs boil down to one common issue, the money to make it happen. Improvements to infrastructure and staffing needs are costly. Those costs are NOT fixed costs and will continue to rise. Doing things as they’ve “always been done” places much of the burden on our existing citizens by way of higher taxes and utilities to acquire the needed funds. The likelihood of future increases is inevitable but we can do more to lessen the frequency and severity of future increases. We have candidates that will do an excellent job seeking grants to aid in the costs of infrastructure and staffing. Grants are a significant part of the solution but NOT the entire solution. I will work with and support the new Mayor and Council to address these needs in the most efficient ways possible.

It is time that we as a community aggressively seek economic development and population stability. Growth of existing business, attracting new business, keeping our existing population and the investment in our community to attract new residents will be my goals.

I believe that economic development begins with a thriving uptown. Our success recreating uptown Galion will increase our tax revenue and spill over to our industrial and service industries. As a small business owner I am well equipped to understand the opportunities and challenges facing small businesses in Galion.

Housing is a key component to keeping and attracting familes to Galion. I have been encouraged by the successful efforts of our current Mayor and Council as it relates to housing growth. I believe that we can build on these efforts and develop strategies to rapidly increase development. This will require the joint efforts of our City, property owners, contractors and real estate professionals. All the vested parties need to have a seat at the table with a common goal.

Thank you for your consideration and I’m asking for your vote on November 4th.
Heath Watkins
Council At Large Candidate

10/15/2025

Kudos to Erik Gimbel for being much braver than myself to paint the third stories of buildings in uptown Galion!

I would love to have your support in my candidacy for Galion City Council At Large. If elected I am dedicated to restoring uptown Galion to a beautiful, vibrant business district we can all be proud of! My goal is to obtain funding methods for sidewalks, landscaping, public entertainment spaces, seating, murals, trellises and more WITHOUT using general fund tax dollars. I believe we can achieve this WITHOUT tapping into valuable resources dedicated to infrastructure and staffing. Thank you for your consideration.

10/08/2025

So much truth in this.

When I say a town is hard to love, I’m not trying to be cruel. I’m trying to be honest.

How we talk about our communities shapes how we think about them and how we fix them. And the way we’ve been talking about them isn’t working.

We hide behind language that sounds smart but says nothing.
“Deferred maintenance of downtown properties is likely having a long-term impact on the tax base, hindering economic activity and creating retention and recruitment challenges.” Sure. True enough. But it sounds like something an economic development robot would say.

We’ve spent decades treating community development like a math problem, as if every issue can be solved with a spreadsheet and every decision must be justified in dollars and cents. That kind of thinking has drained the life out of too many places.

Money matters, but it shouldn’t be in the driver’s seat. When finances come first, communities fall apart.

When you pick a restaurant, cost matters, but it’s not the main thing. You care about the food, the atmosphere, the way it makes you feel. Nobody ever said, “Let’s go to the cheapest restaurant in town, that’ll be great.”

Businesses understand this. They position themselves intentionally. Some sell luxury, others sell value, others sell convenience. Their choices about design, quality, and service shape how people perceive them.

So why do so many towns insist on being the Dollar Store of place?

Our grandparents didn’t build courthouses, libraries, and schools with the goal of being the cheapest option. They built places that inspired pride because beauty mattered.

And here’s the thing. Beauty isn’t just emotional. It’s financial. The most beautiful, well-maintained parts of town always carry the highest property values. Beauty pays dividends.

We all make choices based on value, not just cost. A car can make you feel dignified. A pair of jeans can make you feel confident. A restaurant can make a date feel like a memory.

Places work the same way. A street can make your kids feel safe. A downtown can make you feel connected. A city can make you feel proud.

The towns that get this, the places that invest in making people feel good, are thriving. And yes, they often cost more. People will pay for joy.

Maybe your town wants to be the affordable option. That’s fine. But that market’s already cornered.

There’s a better position to take. You’ll pay a little more to live here, but you’ll love your life more.

That means a pretty downtown, local shops, well-kept homes, pride in place, and stable property values.

Because until your town is easy to love, no tax incentive in the world will save it.

09/16/2025

Progress on the beautiful paint jobs happening with 3 historic buildings in uptown Galion. I will post the before and after after photos when finished. S

09/12/2025

“Economic Development” is a buzz phrase that precedes every election. I’m of the opinion that EVERY candidate seeking public office in Galion truly wants economic growth. I’m also of the opinion that there are two distinct differences in the methods which candidates will implement in support of economic growth.

The first method is much of what we have already seen and experienced with elected officials. This approach involves patiently waiting for something to happen and “IF” it does, support said growth either by vote or by verbal praise. Often times elected officials will later take credit for said development because they happened to hold office when it materialized. At best the growth involved their vote of approval, or at worst they had no more involvement than any citizen learning of said development.

The second method involves implementing strategies as mentioned in the caption that “attract and retain businesses, create jobs, and foster economic growth”. If elected I will propose strategies that will do this. I believe this starts with our uptown business district and will foster service and manufacturing growth as well by illustrating our forward thinking through a well crafted plan.

I do not claim to have all the answers but I am willing to support and implement not only my own ideas but others within our government, community and outside expertise. As an entrepreneur I have created growth on a small level with our own successful small businesses in Galion. I believe that through my own real experiences I am well equipped to understand the opportunities and challenges facing small businesses in Galion. I’m asking for your vote with the promise I will work for ALL businesses both existing and through targeted economic growth strategy.

08/12/2025

Yesterday evening the owners of Pub123 hosted a Meet The Candidates Night. Unfortunately I was not able to attend due to a stomach illness. I did send a written statement as requested but due to time constraints it was not read. I am posting it to facebook and look forward to the next Meet The Candidates.

"I’d like to thank Pub123, Mandi and Matt for hosting “meet the candidates”. I’m honored to be one of many candidates seeking to serve our community in the upcoming November election. I apologize for my absence this evening, I am a little under the weather today.

I am a candidate for Galion City Council At Large. My wife (Kelli) and I own a portion of, or all of 5 local businesses in Galion. Our business ventures include H&K Watkins Insurance, H&K Watkins Fundraisers, H&K Recreation & Utility Rentals, William & Larry Properties and Galion Recreation & Utility Storage. As a small businessowner I feel I identify well with both the business opportunities and challenges in Galion. Our businesses are both homebased and office based in the uptown business district.

As Council At Large representative I will work with our Mayor and Council to improve infrastructure and staffing deficiencies within our City Government. I believe we have an excellent pool of candidates whom are well qualified to lead and understand the tasks at hand. My role will be as support in the efforts to spearhead these improvements.

My passion and primary focus will be improvements to our uptown business district and housing. I feel these areas have a direct impact on our ability to address infrastructure and staffing, both now and well into the future. The cost to maintain infrastructure and staffing will continue to rise and new issues will develop over time. To relieve our citizens of this burden it is imperative that we increase revenue through growth of existing businesses, our ability to attract new business and population growth through housing.

My focus in the uptown business district will be less on private property and more on city property. In short, I believe we need to get “our own house in order” and private property owners will follow suit. Some examples would be sidewalks, w**d control, landscaping, seating, public entertainment spaces, parking, trellises, murals, etc.. I would like the creation of a formal Theater District and Spirits District. In the coming months I will be more specific in regards to these improvements as well as my ideas of how to fund them without utilizing general fund tax dollars.

I appreciate the efforts of the current Mayor and Council in regards to housing. We have seen positive growth with upscale apartment complexes as well as the Wi******er Road property. Our current leadership has set the wheels in motion for more single-family homes and upscale apartments. My focus will be to expand on what has already been accomplished with affordable housing, mid-tier housing and upscale housing. I feel we are mostly deficient with upscale housing. We cannot afford to continue to lose more high wage earners to neighboring communities. We are in this together and need more housing opportunities to keep our Galion families in Galion and attract new citizens to our community.

In closing, I want to thank those that signed my petition, and I would ask for your vote in the November election. I want to wish all the candidates good luck and I look forward to the opportunity to work with all of you."