Mayor's Message
A Legacy of Learning, a Future of Opportunity
Mayor Ike Stage
Some high school students know exactly what they want to do long before graduation. While some plan to attend college, others are preparing for careers in technical fields. Whether they aspire to become an electrician, nurse, cosmetologist or automotive technician, the South Western Career Academy provides a head start through hands-on training that prepares students to enter the workforce immediately after graduation. For those still exploring their interests, the Academy offers the opportunity to discover a passion that can shape a rewarding future.
This school year marks the 25th anniversary of the Career Academy’s campus on Big Run South, but its roots extend back nearly 60 years to the opening of the Paul C. Hayes Technical School in 1966. When the Career Academy relocated to its current campus in 2002, the former Hayes building became Hayes Intermediate School, while the new facility continued to evolve with expanded programs and modern learning spaces that prepare students for today’s careers.
During the 2025-2026 school year, nearly 800 students from across the South Western City School district participated in 17 career programs at the Academy, while additional students explored career pathways through satellite programs at their home high schools. The Academy also serves adult learners through evening training programs, with nearly 100 participants earning credentials in fields such as healthcare, HVAC, broadband and electrical concepts. It’s another reminder that learning doesn’t end with a high school diploma.
City of Grove City
Mayor Stage and South West Career Academy Career and Technical Education Director Christine Galvin tour The Cutting Edge salon under renovation.
One of my favorite things about the Career Academy is that education doesn’t happen only in a classroom. Students repair vehicles, prepare meals, care for patients, design projects and serve real customers. This year, the newly renovated Cutting Edge Salon opens its doors, providing an updated space where cosmetology students gain valuable hands-on experience while offering services to the public. It’s a wonderful example of students building confidence while serving their community.
Career and technical education has never been more important. As technology changes and workforce needs evolve, students benefit from opportunities to discover where their talents can take them. Whether graduates transition directly into a career, continue their education or do a little of both, they leave with valuable experience and a stronger foundation for the future.
For decades, the South Western Career Academy and its predecessor programs have helped students turn interests into careers and strengthen the workforce that supports our region. That’s an investment that benefits not only the students who walk its halls, but our entire community.
Richard L. "Ike" Stage
Mayor
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Email the Community Relations office: CRO@GroveCityOhio.gov
Website: www.GroveCityOhio.gov
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- Council Meetings are held at City Hall, 4035 Broadway, 7 p.m. on the first and third Monday of every month. Attend in person or watch live online at bit.ly/GCWatchLive.
City Insights
The Charter Behind Grove City
By Charles W. Boso, Jr., City Administrator
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*Printed as of Aug. 14, 2026
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For more than 65 years, Grove City's Charter has provided the framework for how the City governs itself. Adopted by voters in 1958 and effective July 1, 1959, the Charter established the City’s Strong Mayor–Council–Administrative Assistant form of government and continues to define the roles, responsibilities and processes that guide Grove City government today.
Ohio’s Home Rule Amendment, adopted in 1912, gives municipalities the authority to adopt a charter and govern local affairs through a structure tailored to the needs of the community. For Grove City, that meant establishing a system of government that balances legislative oversight by City Council with executive leadership by the Mayor, while authorizing a City Administrator (Administrative Assistant) to oversee the day-to-day operations. Additionally, the Charter establishes procedures for elections, legislation, appointments, budgeting and many other aspects of municipal government.
Like any governing document, the Charter is intended to evolve over time. Since taking effect in 1959, Grove City voters have approved amendments in 1962, 1982, 1985 and 2017. Those updates have refined election procedures, Council operations, financial provisions, administrative responsibilities and other governance practices while preserving the Charter’s fundamental purpose.
To help ensure the Charter continues to meet the needs of the community, City Council periodically conducts a comprehensive review of the document. Council is currently reviewing each article of the Charter to determine whether any provisions should be updated or clarified. Any amendments recommended through that process would ultimately be presented to Grove City voters for consideration.
Residents also have the ability to propose Charter amendments through the citizen initiative process established under Ohio law. That process requires petitioners to collect a sufficient number of valid signatures before a proposed amendment can be certified for the ballot. A citizen-led petition effort is currently underway seeking to place a proposed Charter amendment on a future ballot.
Whether amendments originate through City Council’s review or a citizen initiative, Grove City voters have the final say on substantive changes to the Charter. That process has helped the Charter remain a relevant and effective framework for local government for more than six decades and will continue to guide the community as Grove City grows and evolves.
Grove City Charter Amendment History
1962: Council meeting procedures and terms; the Mayor’s term of office; and the creation of a recall process for elected officials.
1982: Council vacancies; Legislative procedures; Competitive bidding; Election and ward provisions; Taxation language; and adding Section 9.05 (terminology referring to “Council Members”)
1985: Revise Section 6.02, changing the Charter’s limitation on the City’s property tax rate, allowing City Council to enact a maximum rate.
2017 – The most comprehensive modernization of the Charter to date: Updated Council qualifications and composition from five to seven members; Modernized ordinance and resolution procedures; Updated Mayor and City Administrator duties; Revised Planning Commission provisions; Removed obsolete transitional provisions; Updated terminology throughout; and Established a Charter Review Committee to convene every 10 years beginning in 2031.
Council Corner
Education – An Investment in Our Future
By George Holinga, Council Member At-Large
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City of Grove City
George Holinga, Council Member At-Large
Education is the key element to success! Many of us have heard the phrase “Knowledge is Power” but it is much more than that. It dictates what we define as success in life. Success must be defined on one’s own terms. Whether it is being a successful plumber, auto mechanic or a brain surgeon, education plays a key role in enjoying a good future and life. While some subjects I was required to take in school, such as algebra, geometry, literature, seemed to be useless to me, they are now essential to me in my daily life.
Our goal should be to provide the best possible education to our student population, whether it is a traditional classroom or trade school education. Basic education of the three “R’s” – reading, writing and arithmetic – can lift all levels of one’s status in life and their success as they might individually define it.
While many will complain about half of their annual real estate tax going for schools, it is a great investment in our future. Ben Franklin, who I like to quote, said about education, “Genius without education is like silver in the mine.” Two areas of education that, at the time, didn’t seem particularly useful to me were history and civics. Now teaching both English as a second language and Citizenship classes for legal immigrants, I recognize having those areas of knowledge while serving on City Council has been – and still is – so important. It should be a very important part of our public and private school curriculum.
To quote Franklin’s biographer, Dr. Henry Stuber, “A nation of well-informed men (and women), who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the regions of ignorance that tyranny reigns.” We are blessed to have a great school system in South Western City Schools, but we must always strive for academic improvement. We are also extremely blessed to have many schools of higher education so close and reasonably affordable – The Ohio State University, Columbus State Community College, Franklin University and Otterbein University – as well as technical schools such as Tolles Career & Technical Center and other Union-sponsored apprenticeship schools.
I am proud to be a part of a city that provides a Higher Education Investment Program for our student residents. It was a great idea, put into effect by prior City Council and Mayor Stage. It is strongly taken advantage of and assists our community to grow in knowledge. The City continues to value education and will continue to support its goals in the future.
South Western City Schools
