New Council Takes Seats in January

Westerville voters spoke on Nov. 3 last year, electing Dennis Blair, Coutanya Coombs and Megan Reamsnyder to their first terms each as Westerville City Council members. The four members begin their terms in January.

Dennis Blair

Dennis Blair won his first seat on Westerville City Council in November. Blair has more than a decade of public service in Westerville on many community-oriented committees and projects, service organizations (Westerville Sunrise Rotary) and special events (Field of Heroes). Blair is a 30-year Westerville resident who ran to continue the momentum in Uptown and attract investments in Westerville through economic development. Blair and his wife of 33 years remain in Westerville, and are parents to three grown children and grandparents to two.

Coutyana Coombs

Coutyana Coombs also won her first seat. Coombs, who also works as a real estate agent, said she ran “to keep the city healthy and prosperous and ensure Westerville’s values and 25-year vision are upheld.”Coombs is a 16year resident of Westerville, and active member of the Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce, having chaired the Women In Business committee and Business Inclusion Opportunities Council.

Megan Reamsnyder

Megan Reamsnyder also won her first seat. Reamsnyder is a lifelong Westerville resident and graduate of Westerville North High School. She earned her degree in social work from The Ohio State University and returned to Westerville to raise her family with her husband and high school sweetheart, Jake. In her campaign, Reamsnyder focused on her community engagement, promising to “show up and work hard” for Westerville.

Mike Heyeck

Returning to Council for a 8th-consecutive term is Mike Heyeck. Mike has served the community for nearly 40 years, and most recently acted as Council Chair. Heyeck focused his campaign on his public safety record, as well as a number of other accomplishments in economic development and protecting the City’s financial excellence.

At the beginning of January, Westerville City Council announced its organizational structure. (At press time, these results were not available.) This process used to take place each first day of December, but changed when the 2020 Charter was adopted. The four officers of Council are Chairperson, Vice Chair, Mayor and Vice Mayor. Please visit the Westerville website for the name of the Council member who will hold each position for a two-year term.

Also determined at the organization meeting were appointments of members to numerous committees and boards on which Council members serve. All appointments are listed at www.westerville.org/council.

Westerville City Council consists of seven at-large members elected to four-year overlapping terms in non-partisan elections. Municipal elections are held in odd-numbered years, with four seats filled in one election and three seats filled in the next election.