06/19/2026
Springboro's Newest City Council Member Is A Great Choice!
A long-time resident with deep ties to Springboro Community City Schools and community service agencies has been tapped as the city’s newest city council member.
Wendy Grothjan will serve as the 4th Ward representative, replacing Jim Chmiel who is retiring at the end of June after serving for 24 years.
Grothjan was selected from two candidates after a special meeting by council on Monday, June 15.
For 25 years, she has worked as the mental health coordinator for Springboro City Schools, a position she said gives her a unique look at the city.
“This role has given me a rare, ground-level window into the structural needs of our city, while allowing me to forge unshakeable relationships built on absolute discretion, transparency, and trust with the Springboro Police Department, local fire, and regional county social services,” Grothjan said.
In 2007, Grothjan started using her personal van to shop for and deliver groceries to Springboro students and their families hit hardest by the Great Recession.
With then-Superintendent David Baker and a network of neighbors, the deliveries blossomed into the Springboro Community Assistance Center (SCAC).
Originally housed at Clearcreek Elementary School, the SCAC expanded and relocated to the former Jonathan Wright Elementary School on Florence Drive before moving into the Educare Building next to Springboro Junior High on S. Main St. in 2016.
SCAC now provides food for about 100 high-risk students per week and brings crisis relief directly to an estimated 500 Springboro residents a month, many of whom are her Ward 4 neighbors.
“I am intimately familiar with the unique needs of our area, and I know firsthand that the majority of our neighbors who utilize crisis assistance call Ward 4 home,” she said.
Grothjan serves as executive director of the center.
The ward covers the area west of Ohio State Route 741, south of Ohio State Route 73 and west of Clearcreek-Franklin Road, including the majority of the Tamarack and Wood Ridge subdivisions.
Grothjan will serve out the remainder of Chmiel’s term until it expires on Dec. 31, 2029. She will be eligible to run for a full term in the 2029 general election.
DDN link:
https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/school-mental-health-coordinator-tapped-for-springboro-city-council-seat/article_59bca85a-f6f3-544a-beec-41db6fc08b3b.html
