BATAVIA, Ohio — The mayor of Batavia hired a public relations firm to win over unhappy residents, boost development and stop efforts to dissolve the village where nearly 2,000 residents live in Clermont County.
Mayor C. Scott Runck signed a contract with O’Keeffe Public Relations on March 10, at a monthly cost of $5,800 for up to 35 hours of work, including social media strategy and pitching positive stories. That works out to an annual cost of $69,600 in a community where the per capita income is $28,000.
“It’s a lot of money,” said Karen Swartz, administrator of the adjacent Batavia Township, which has roughly 27,000 residents. “I could do a lot of things with $70,000, and it wouldn’t be hiring a PR firm.”
Swartz said she would rather spend that money on a new township pickleball court or playground equipment, guardrail improvements, hiring a new employee or buying a snowplow. But she doesn’t dispute the slew of controversies in the village over the past year.
“I definitely think they have a PR issue in the village, but I don’t know that hiring a PR firm is going to solve their problems,” Swartz said. “I don’t think they’ve listened to what the community has wanted.”
Many village and township residents forcefully oppose building a new subdivision near the Clermont County airport. They packed village meetings, even lining up around the block when one meeting had reached capacity last fall.
In September, critics began circulating a petition to dissolve the village. Then two residents filed a lawsuit against the mayor and village council on Feb. 26, accusing them of not providing enough public notice in advance of meetings about the new subdivision.
Village officials met with Dan O’Keeffe from O’Keeffe PR in early February. A week later, he sent a proposal to Runck, village administrator Ken Geis and assistant administrator Chip Stewart, summarizing their concerns and proposing what a good public relations strategy could do to help.
WATCH: What has the PR firm helped the village do since it was hired
“The Village’s efforts to develop the area and work with the township continue to be met with aggressive and hostile tactics by the township,” such as disorderly meetings, flyers, people driving through town displaying signs “vehemently against the village’s efforts,” and “combative rhetoric” on a community Facebook page, O’Keeffe wrote in his Feb. 12 engagement proposal.
They must sway village and township residents by November 2026, when voters will decide whether to dissolve the village, O’Keeffe wrote.
“We believe the central issue complicating the situation for the village is that you have let a very vocal minority within the township monopolize the airwaves, so to speak, and become the de facto voice of the village. You must reclaim your voice so you can control your narrative and more effectively and consistently tell your side of the story,” O’Keeffe wrote.
Swartz took issue with blaming the township for the village’s problems. She said township trustees spoke at meetings against the developments but have never been hostile. The Batavia school superintendent, school board members and an assistant fire chief have also spoken out at meetings, she said.
“Some of our residents get upset, and I think they have a right to be upset. We’re not encouraging that type of behavior, but they have a right to speak at a public meeting and voice their concerns,” adding that some of those same residents also speak out at township meetings.
Since hiring O’Keeffe, the public relations firm has helped the village deal with another controversy. Last month, council members voted to sell one of the police department’s dogs, forcing his handler to buy him back for $1,500. Many believed they were retaliating against the officer who was leaving the department.
“In your opinion, do you think this could help the negativity we are seeing — I know social is what it is … thinking news,” the mayor wrote in a March 16 email to Dan O’Keeffe.
“It will not stop the negativity overall, but I believe it can add closure to the subject and issue, which can help the village move on from this issue. We want to begin drowning out or at least meeting the negativity with consistently positive news about the village,” O’Keeffe responded on March 17.
That week, O'Keeffe staff also crafted a statement to a local television station producer who had questions about the Haverkamp Foundation donation, wrote a press release about the new village police chief, and tracked village media coverage.
“I honestly feel like Batavia village having a public relations firm is probably a really good idea for them,” said Randy Dorsey, a high school teacher who has lived in Batavia for 11 years. “Whatever it costs, for our residents to get transparency, I think it’s worth it."
He said the small village lacks the staff to craft press releases or respond to the media and only got its first Facebook page a year ago. It relied on putting meeting notices on a bulletin board in the village office entryway until a few years ago.
“We’re having some growing pains,” Dorsey said. “Yes, we’ve had a lot of negative stories … I don’t think they’re being concise and informing the public about what’s going on. It’s a problem.”
Dorsey applied for an open Batavia Village Council seat earlier this year but was not selected. He said he’s considering running for council in November as a voice for the schools.
“If you have an interest or you are upset, run for council,” Dorsey said.
The mayor did not respond to a request for an interview for this story.
But he provided this statement: “The Village of Batavia has a bold vision of growth for a prosperous future for our residents and businesses. To ensure that we are communicating those plans professionally and effectively, we have hired a professional communications agency to support our efforts. Their expertise will help us engage our community, attract new opportunities, and share our progress in a way that reflects our commitment to smart, strategic growth.”
I received no response when I asked whether O’Keeffe Public Relations wrote that statement.
Meanwhile, the Ohio Auditor’s Office released its 2022 and 2023 audit on the Village of Batavia on Tuesday. It reported material weaknesses and noncompliance citations and made recommendations on how to correct them.
Emails between Batavia's mayor, PR firm by webeditors on Scribd
Village of Batavia Proposal by webeditors on Scribd
