“When I first did it, four years ago, it was because Donald Trump won the presidency, and it had me so (upset) and fired up that I felt I had to do something,” Collins said. “I had to get involved in some kind of community activity, progress, to try to push against what I saw as a threat to our democracy.”
If elected, he said, he would work to improve the lives of Hamilton’s underprivileged residents, he said.
Also taking out petitions to run is Danny Ivers, 21. He ran two years ago. Ivers was the first to pull petitions to run, on Jan. 4.
So far, only Council Member Michael V. Ryan has turned in the petitions necessary to run, which he did Friday. Council Member Timothy F. Naab took out petitions Feb. 24.
The leader of city council is the mayor, although the mayor’s position is elected separately from the other members. Moeller took out petitions Thursday, and nobody so far has taken out paperwork to run against him.
Hamilton candidates, who run for four-year terms, have until Aug. 4 to turn in the required petitions that are signed by fellow city residents. Council members are paid $300 per year.
Collins said of Hamilton, “It’s a very conservative, red city, and I come from a very far-left perspective, and I’m trying to reach out to people who are less privileged, less fortunate — people who don’t tend to vote. I’m trying to get on their level and inspire them to vote in their best interest, because I feel like I have real people’s best interests at heart.”
“The only motivation I have for running for any office whatsoever is for the betterment of people, specifically, the less privileged, and the people who actually need help,” he said.
Among those are drug addicts and people trying to escape poverty.
“I tried four years ago, when I first moved to Hamilton, and that kind of ended poorly,” Collins said. “So I’m planning on just trying to make a comeback here. I learned a lot of lessons from my first run, made a lot of mistakes that I hope I can learn from and improve upon.”
Collins has lived in various places in Greater Cincinnati through the years, including Harrison, Fairfield and Colerain Township. He moved to Hamilton about 4½ years ago to be closer to his job as the manager of a truck-driving school. Collins was familiar with Hamilton through the years because his parents owned properties in the city, he said.
“It’s a very rewarding thing, and one of the best things that have happened to me,” he said of his truck-driver-training job. It’s rewarding because it helps people improve their financial status by giving them good jobs, he said.
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