Michael B. Stafford (Upper Arlington City Council At-large, Ohio, candidate 2025)

Michael B. Stafford

Do you have a photo that could go here? Click here to submit it for this profile!

---

Nonpartisan

Candidate, Upper Arlington City Council At-large

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 4, 2025

Education

Bachelor's

The Ohio State University, 2003

Personal

Birthplace

Columbus, Ohio

Profession

Finance

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Michael B. Stafford ran for election to the Upper Arlington City Council At-large in Ohio. He was on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.^[source]

Stafford completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Michael B. Stafford provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 29, 2025:

• Birth place: Columbus, Ohio
• High school: Upper Arlington
• Bachelor's: The Ohio State University, 2003
• Gender: Male
• Profession: Finance
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign slogan: Building Tomorrow Together
• Campaign website
• Campaign Instagram
• LinkedIn

Elections

General election

General election for Upper Arlington City Council At-large (4 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Upper Arlington City Council At-large on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
		John Cousins (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Nic Fortkamp (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Ukeme Awakessien Jeter (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Laura Oldham (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Michael B. Stafford (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Ben Tracy (Nonpartisan)

---

	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Stafford in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Michael B. Stafford completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Stafford's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Professional:

I am the Founder and Principal of One Brick Capital, LLC, an independent wealth management firm in Central Ohio. With over 20 years of experience, he delivers tailored, results-driven financial solutions with a focus on innovation and client experience.

Community Involvement: An active youth and high school sports board member in football and volleyball and coach across baseball, wrestling, basketball, football, and soccer, Mike values the lessons from sports of teamwork, discipline, and mentorship. He has also served for nearly two decades on the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Development Board, supporting pediatric healthcare and community outreach throughout Central Ohio.

Personal:

A lifelong Central Ohio resident, Mike earned his degree from The Ohio State University, where he played on two Big Ten Championship teams and the 2002 National Championship football team. He lives in Upper Arlington with his wife, Abby, and their four children.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Pursuing Responsible Economic Development
While Upper Arlington has made great progress in recent years, economic development will always be a key priority, especially as the city works to advance the Envision Henderson project and address the underutilized Golden Bear Center. As a landlocked community, we must be thoughtful and strategic in how we grow, pursuing development opportunities that generate essential revenues, help hold down taxes, and align with the character and values that define Upper Arlington.
• Improving Infrastructure and Community Assets
From parks and roadways to public facilities and utilities, smart investments in infrastructure are essential to maintaining the high quality of life residents expect. As we plan for the future, we must strike the right balance by preserving what makes Upper Arlington special while ensuring our community remains vibrant, safe and well-equipped for generations to come.
• Championing Responsible City Planning Over the next few years, Upper Arlington will begin updating its Master Plan—a comprehensive plan last revised in 2013 that guides the city’s long-term goals, growth and development strategies. The Master Plan is the city’s most important planning tool, addressing critical issues such as land use, economic vitality, housing, transportation, sustainability and community services. As we plan, it’s essential to approach this work thoughtfully and transparently to preserve the UA's character of our neighborhoods while ensuring smart, sustainable growth. Strong leadership will be needed to ensure the updated plan reflects the community’s priorities and provides a clear roadmap for the future.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The Community drives my passion. I love this community and my work, executive-board/working board and life experience translate very well to what this position is. For 20+ years I have worked directly with clients to develop thoughtfu, individualized financial strategies- Always balancing long-term goals with the realities of life's listening, adaptability and leveraging the best resources to overcome challenges and achieve meaningful outcomes

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

The list is long, but a common theme shows up in all of them. Each on my list is driven to be better, to do better, to serve in their communities/country in their own capacity. 4 of my top 5 are family members, and the 5th is my college football coach. My Dad and Mom are my first, for their service to their respecitve communities. My Father a police officer, my Mother a nurse, have spent their lives serving others, often at some of the most tense and stressful times for any individual they came by. My Grandfathers for their military service for us and our Great Country, and for how they approached every day. My younger Brother (active armed forces) for his service to our Country. I look up to him also for the mindset that he brings to any situation. The 5th is one of my college football coaches who instilled Quiet-Time into my life. This QT is something I practice as a daily exercise, to help me center, express gratitude, and to strategically map out and pay homage to what is important.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

In a position like this, there is one goal, simple and straight-forward.... focus on the Community and what is best for the community as a whole. While working through the challenges of what is best for the community it is incredibly important to communicate the vision and take time to LISTEN to all angles of the discussion, especially in the areas/neighborhoods that may be most effected by any proposed change.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The objective of UA City Council to establish local laws, set policy, approve programs, as well as oversee the operations of the City... All of this boils down to being reasonable and responsible stewards with the resources we have.

What legacy would you like to leave?

My daily work and mindset are centered around gratitude, planning, hardwork, discipline, and determination. I would consider myself very lucky if this was evident in what I left behind.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

My first historical event that i vividly remember was the awful explosion of Space Shuttle Challenger, I was 5-6

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I delivered papers from 4th grade through 12th grade, every morning for The Columbus Dispatch

What is your favorite book? Why?

Rules for a Knight.
This book is simple straight-forward and highlights many of the characteristics that are important for any endeavor.

Candidates hear many personal stories from voters. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching or memorable?

I've heard many stories from community members and neighbors, all with a common theme- they want more communication, and transparency in what is being proposed and planned.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2025 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Upper Arlington City Council At-large

Website

Instagram

Personal

LinkedIn