When Brittney Klockowski moved back to her hometown of Weston—a small, rural village of about 1,500 residents near Bowling Green, Ohio—she found little had changed in the 10 years she’d been gone.
Not only had the Village Council building still not been updated (its last renovation was in the 1970s), attitudes around the LGBTQ+ community hadn’t evolved much either—to the point that Klockowski didn’t feel safe opening up about her identity as a bisexual woman.
“I feel proud of who I am, and I want everyone in the village to feel comfortable being who they are to their neighbors,” Brittney said.
Now running unopposed for an open seat on Village Council, Klockowski hopes to make a lasting cultural change in Weston.
The Buckeye Flame caught up with Klockowski about her candidacy and her vision for her town.
What drove you to run for office this year?
I’ve always wanted to get more involved in my community. My main goal is to help in any way that I can, and I saw being on the council as a way to provide that while helping bring about positive change here. When I moved back to Weston after 10 years, it felt like I was moving back to the exact same place I’d left. It’s stagnant here. As a council member, I want to help get things moving again.
Tell us a bit about Weston and what it’s like to live there as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
The gay scene isn’t really present in Weston. It’s here, it just isn’t very loud. We currently have a mayor who is very empathetic to the LGBTQ+ community, but whether you bring up your sexual orientation to your neighbors is still very iffy. I hope to make that better as a council member. Recently, a Toledo-based drag-queen-run food truck, Maybe Cheese Born With It, came to the farmer’s market in Weston. Myself and other members of the parks and rec board showed up in support, and a lot of people from the community stopped by, too. It was amazing. It gave me a second wind—like, oh my gosh! There are people here who are accepting! I have to gather these people!
What will be your first orders of business when elected?
I want to establish an organization that provides women and minorities facing domestic violence in the area with a safe space and a network to connect them with the resources they need. I also want to build a community center that doubles as a council building. Our current council building hasn’t been updated since the ‘70s and it was built in the ‘40s, so there is a need for an upgrade. And there is a need for a place for members of the community to gather. Finally, I want to build up Weston’s environmental policies so that eco-friendliness becomes a stronger part of the culture here.
In your view, how will gaining an LGBTQ+ perspective benefit Weston Village Council?
I think LGBTQ+ issues are being gravely overlooked in Weston right now. There are safety issues that the LGBTQ+ community faces that many of the councilmembers are not aware of but that can be addressed through our Safety Committee. We can do more LGBTQ+ community events like Pride, which the current councilmembers do not publicly acknowledge. Basically, the whole world celebrates Pride at this point, and Weston should, too.
How does it feel to be running unopposed?
I’m excited because I’m definitely going to be on council as long as I vote for myself. I’m already working on a bunch of projects in town, going to community meetings and getting involved with the committees. And I’m able to put a lot of effort into supporting my friends who are also running for office: Damon Sherry for Bowling Green City Council, Ward 1, and Lauren Bacans-Grounds for Perry Township Trustee. I can’t wait to see what we accomplish. 🔥
Ignite Action
- To learn more about Brittney Klockowski, visit her campaign Facebook page here.
- To register to vote or to check your voter eligibility status in the state of Ohio, click here.
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