New Albany Mayor Sloan Spalding has been interested in politics since high school.
As a Brighton High School student in Cottonwood Heights near Salt Lake City, Spalding was a member of his school’s debate team and aspired to be a lawyer. He loved learning about creating well-crafted persuasive arguments.
“It’s interesting to learn the different ways to present information,” the 46-year-old says.
During college, Spalding pursued his passion for government, graduating from the University
Photo by Scott Cunningham
Sloan Spalding
of Utah in 1994 with a degree in political science and a minor in military science. He served in the ROTC his last two years at the university and was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves upon graduation.
Spalding became the third generation in his family to pursue military service. His grandfather served in World War II in the Pacific Theater, and his father served in the Army. Spalding served for eight years in the Army National Guard, completing basic training in New Jersey and then serving in Germany.
“A young person grows up fast and quickly matures when serving in the U.S. armed forces,” Spalding says. “The U.S. Army provided me with outstanding leadership training, both as an enlisted and commissioned officer.”
His family had moved to Reynoldsburg in 1988 while Spalding was serving in the Army, and in 1994, he returned to Columbus to attend law school at Capital University. After graduating with a juris doctor of law in 1997, Spalding worked as a senior associate and attorney. The majority of his subsequent jobs involved the public sector, including roles with the Ohio Department of Mental Health, Ohio Board of Regents and Office of the Ohio Attorney General, where he serves as section chief of the employment law section.
Spalding’s foray into New Albany politics happened well after he and his wife, Jennifer, moved to New Albany in 2002. The couple had lived in Westerville, and their house sold rather quickly. Since Jennifer was from Pataskala, they were searching for someplace on that side of Columbus.
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Photos courtesy of Sloan Spalding
From left to right: City Manager Joe Stefanov, Spalding and former Mayor Nancy Ferguson attend the groundbreaking for the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany.
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Spalding at a 2013 New Albany Symphony Orchestra event
“We couldn’t find anything better than New Albany,” Spalding says.
His first project for the city of New Albany happened in 2007, when he ran into then-mayor Nancy Ferguson at an event. After he expressed an interest in getting engaged with local government, Spalding became involved in renewing the city’s strategic plan.
“I was very impressed by how collaborative the whole process was,” he says.
In 2009, Spalding was a member of the New Albany Charter Review Commission; he joined City Council that year, beginning his term in 2010. He was re-elected in 2013. He says he’s always been impressed with the city’s strong commitment to civic planning.
“Nothing really happens by accident,” he says.
Spalding says he’s particularly proud of the businesses the city has brought in during his
Photo courtesy of Sloan Spalding
The Spalding family, clockwise from left: Grant,Sloan, Jennifer, Wyatt and Clint
tenure on council, along with the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany’s completion. He calls the center a magnet for other businesses. There’s also the most recent designation of the city as “America’s Best Suburb” by Business Insider.
“We really need to keep up the momentum,” Spalding says.
In his personal time, Spalding focuses quite literally on movement; he walks and bikes regularly. His three boys – Grant, 13; Wyatt, 11; and Clint, 6 – all play sports.
“We’re pretty active,” he says.
The family also has Duchess, a mutt they found at the beach while vacationing in North Carolina.
“She kind of adopted us,” Spalding says.
Sarah Sole is an editor. Feedback welcome at ssole@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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