BJ White:
I am a lifelong Ohioan, born at Columbus’ Grant Hospital and raised in Logan, OH. I attended The Ohio State University and graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Women’s Studies, also participating in The Ohio State University Marching Band. During my self-financed college career, I would often visit the Graceland Shopping Center for necessary provisions. I fondly recall being enamored by the High Street corridor through Clintonville while riding COTA between campus and Graceland Shopping Center. This is what attracted me to Clintonville (District 9) when my wife of 28 years, Kari Engen, and I purchased our first home in 1999. It certainly fits the Realtor descriptive of “Clintonville Charmer” and we jumped at the opportunity that this property offered to us. We’ve made it our home and take great pride in our Cape Cod on E. Kanawha Ave. Being immersed in an area where there are neighbors with longevity and pride of home ownership, I am grateful each time I return home for finding a homestead that I dreamed about as a college student riding COTA through Clintonville. I continue to be rooted in our community as a season ticket holder to The Columbus Crew since their inaugural season in 1996.
My professional career spans from marketing and financial services to my current career as a residential real estate agent since 2005. In 2016, I was the recipient of the Columbus REALTORS®’ Twenty-Five Million Dollar Sales Award. I owe a debt of gratitude to the Clintonville community for earning such an accolade. As a Realtor who serves all over Central Ohio, Clintonville has been an organic market and niche clientele that I have considered an invaluable and intangible asset to my real estate practice. Experiencing most of the real estate cycle in Clintonville as a resident, I have learned the benefits, risk mitigation, and potential pitfalls that we shall experience as a community. This is why I am inclined to serve the community as an Area Commissioner and represent District 9. Why now? The time seems appropriate to marry my expertise to the aspirations of the community and to engage the interest of the 1,900 households of District 9.
District 9 is often seen as an outlier, sometimes referred to as “not really Clintonville”. That’s unfortunate, because there is so much vibrancy here, as well as the other eight districts. It’s important to me that all of Clintonville be represented with vigor. After listening to my neighbors, and learning from those who have been here longer than I, it became clear that I could bring those views to the commission, and I could use my experiences from representing current or potential Clintonville homeowners as a Realtor, to the benefit of our district. There remains a lot for me to learn, from all residents of Clintonville, from the other 8 Clintonville Area Commissioners, the CAC committee members, and my neighbors in District 9. It is my intention and obligation to represent and advocate for District 9 and to work in concert with all of Clintonville to the best of my abilities.- BJ White
