First-year Mayor Jodie Perry delivers first state of the City of Mansfield address

As the former president and CEO of Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, Jodie Perry knows about growth.

Mansfield's new mayor made that a focus of her state-of-the-city address Wednesday before the Mansfield City Council meeting.

Perry has been on the job for 12 weeks.

"The first three months have been a whirlwind of learning, connecting, meeting and planning," she said.

During her campaign, Perry identified her priorities as growth, infrastructure and safety.

"And after 80 days, I'm pleased to share with you that this city — our city — is on the rise," she said. "While we have many challenges yet to face, there is great reason for optimism as we look at our collective future."

Perry used an analogy to underscore the importance of growth.

"... Why is growth so important? Think of it as a tree," she said. "It starts as a seed, and as long as it stays healthy, it continues to grow. It gets bigger, greener and stronger bit by bit. The growth can happen quickly, and yet you can't sit and watch it take place in real time.

"Each year, it produces new seeds that will fall, and at least some of them begin to grow. One day, when the tree begins to wither and fade, if a new tree isn't coming up from behind it, the forest will be left with a bare spot."

Perry highlights growth in the past year

Perry said she looks at communities the same way before highlighting several success stories from 2023.

Adena Development found a tenant for its spec building at Airport West.

"The 160,000-square-foot building was the largest industrial facility built in the city limits in a number of years," Perry said. "Hedstrom, the company who probably makes your child's favorite bouncy balls, has brought 35 full-time jobs to our community as they expand. This project was a $10 million investment in our community."

Ohio Valley Stamping & Assemblies acquired the former Crestline Paint building on Newman Street to expand its capacity. The $2 million investment will create 20 jobs.

Akron Children's Hospital with Adena Development added a 10,000-square-foot expansion to its site on Trimble Road to offer new mental health services and support for youth.

"The project is bringing 23 new full-time jobs and a project investment of over $7 million to the community, not to mention the vital expansion of support services," Perry said.

Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport is an important part of the city's economic development. Niss Aviation, which took over operations in 2020, is rebuilding the restaurant at the airport. Dubbed the Sky Club, the project began with the demolition of the former restaurant. The new build will happen this year.

In more airport news, Mansfield Lahm received the General Aviation Award from the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, which is a national award.

Perry said the permitting and development department had a busy year, issuing 1,718 permits.

"It represents over $41 million in improvements throughout the City of Mansfield," the mayor said, adding the city is receiving inquiries from new developers.

Perry said part of growth is the first impression a community makes.

"Housing inspectors issued 1,870 code violations across the city and abated 275 properties for violations," she said. "Long term, of course, we want to see these numbers eventually drop because people are taking better care of their properties. In the meantime, however, we are working to ensure we see some transformation begin."

West End Target Area project coming along

In community development, Phase I construction for the West End Target Area along Glessner Avenue was completed.

"This project is revitalizing a strategic corridor leading to the county's largest employer, OhioHealth Hospital," Perry said "Design contracts have been awarded for Phase 2 and Phase 3, which will continue the upgrades further towards Main Street."

Perry said her second priority is infrastructure.

"It is the thing you never think about when it works right, but you notice right away when it is broken," she noted.

Perry pointed out the street department resurfaced 159 streets, representing about 37 miles of roadway.

She said some large projects take years to bring to fruition and are often handled by the engineering department, highlighting one such project.

"Next year, we will see dirt being moved on the ambitious Main Street revitalization project, but in 2023, they completed important parts of the design and planning process," Perry said. "They have also secured seven outside grants totaling a whopping $12,734,442. That means 80-85% of this whole project is being funded by grant dollars."

Remaining water meters will be installed in first half of year

A longtime issue for the city has been the need to install the remaining water meters.

"This new administration is about to announce the changeover in the billing process, which will show itemized charges, enhancements when it comes to how residents can pay their bills, as well as other things to make the customer experience more positive," Perry said. "We will get the water meter project done in the first half of the year and be able to move on from a project that has, quite frankly, taken too long."

Parks are another ongoing issue with residents. Perry noted the parks were closed entirely for eight years during fiscal emergency.

"... (S)o it has taken many years to begin to get caught up from that," she said. "We are working this year to make tangible improvements both large and small through the 22 different parks that the city owns."

Perry's third priority is public safety. She said the police department had 77 sworn officers in December 2023, far below what a city Mansfield's size should have.

"We have continued with some of the extra incentives to help encourage lateral transfers into the department, and while the progress has been slower than anyone would like to see, these are certainly signs of improvement," she said.

In response to an uptick in gun violence, the police department formed a community action team. The police department has a new chief in Jason Bammann, who replaced Keith Porch. Porch moved upstairs to become safety service director.

The fire department also is undergoing changes, with the retirement of longtime chief Steve Strickling in late 2023. New Chief Dan Crow's goals include developing a strategic plan with a new mission, vision and core values; developing a comprehensive training program; and strengthening mutual aid relationships with neighboring departments.

Perry called the city of Mansfield "a large and complex organization with many moving pieces and parts." She went back to another part of her campaign, her desire for a Team Mansfield.

"But Team Mansfield is not just elected officials or public employees," she said. "It's you as residents, community members and businesses. We all have to be Team Mansfield."

mcaudill@gannett.com

419-521-7219

X: @MarkCau32059251

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mansfield OH Mayor Jodie Perry gives state of the city address