A Risk Oakwood Can’t Afford: Why Sam Dorf’s Record Matters

Sam Dorf’s run for Oakwood City Council should raise concerns for Oakwood voters as his divisive and partisan approach to politics undermines the public safety of our community.

Sam has publicly supported expansion of multi-unit and low-income housing in Oakwood. While that may sound compassionate, it’s not practical for our small city. I am concerned this will lead to more congestion, increased crime, strain on schools and services, and lower our property values. Oakwood residents living near existing multi-unit housing have reported seeing vagrants, drug paraphernalia and litter in and around those areas. We need a candidate who is dedicated to strong zoning and maintaining high neighborhood standards.

Sam has repeatedly criticized the Oakwood Public Safety Department in ways that have damaged morale and public trust.  In 2019, Sam accused Oakwood police of racial profiling based on a flawed and discredited report from a partisan activist group. Regardless, he claimed its recommendations should still be followed to improve the “perception of Oakwood”. Following these divisive claims, police data show traffic enforcement has dropped significantly (average annual citations by more than one third, and fewer than half of traffic stops result in citations). Residents have noticed more reckless driving and reduced police presence. The timing hardly seems a coincidence — it appears our officers pulled back after being unfairly disparaged, and Oakwood is less safe as a result thanks to Sam’s advocacy.

Sam called for the department to end its use of random license plate checks, a standard policing practice that enables officers catch drivers with suspended or revoked licenses, no insurance, or open arrest warrants (accounting for nearly one-fourth of Oakwood police apprehensions of arrest warrant suspects). Sam opposed this because he didn’t like the racial breakdown of drivers stopped. But should that outweigh our responsibility to keep dangerous drivers off Oakwood’s streets?

Sam advocated a policy requiring any officer who discharges a weapon against an unarmed suspect – regardless of the circumstances – to be suspended without pay and publicly identified, effectively doxxing them. This would endanger good officers and discourage them from making tough but necessary decisions in extraordinary situations.

Sam’s polished ads and campaign website tell a story that doesn’t square with his record. He says he’ll “work collaboratively and transparently,” and support “open communication,” yet his past approach has divided neighbors and undermined trust in city leadership. He now praises the very Public Safety Department he once accused of bias. He claims to champion unity, but his history shows a pattern of divisive politicization. Oakwood deserves steady, reasonable leaders who protect our community, support our officers, and rely on facts – not polarizing activists who rely on flawed assumptions and put their politics ahead of public safety.