Vandalia vice mayor grounded in giving back and growth

VANDALIA, OH — After spending over 35 years in Vandalia raising his family, Rick Ford has long sought a way to give back to his community.

When an opportunity arose in 2025 for him to run for city council, he took it — and since then has dedicated himself to meeting Vandalia's needs and pushing the city forward. Less than a year later, however, Ford has been pushed forward himself, entering the role of vice mayor after Corey Follick’s August departure from the city.

The change in title was far from political aspiration, however.

“I don't have any political aspirations,” Ford said. “I'm too old at this point to worry about any of that…. I'm just trying to do my part to represent the residents of Vandalia.”

For Ford, the only goal in sight remains helping his neighbors. While campaigning for council membership, Ford said he walked the neighborhoods and met with community members throughout Vandalia to hear their needs and gain a pulse on the city’s openness to change.

As such, his main commitment in office is simply to growth, ensuring the city won’t be left behind in this ever-changing world.

“My feeling on that is, there's no standing still. You're either moving forward, or you're falling backward,” Ford said. “I don't believe it's possible in today's world to stay where you're at.”

While Ford is still stepping into his responsibilities as vice mayor, he is in many ways already modeling what this dedication to growth and stepping up can look like. Hosting his first council meeting on Sept. 8 and leading the Public Works facility’s groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 4, Ford’s mission to give back to his community is already in motion—and it’s momentum he doesn’t plan on breaking anytime soon.