LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Tonight we begin a three day discussion with Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith. The mayor was elected in November 2021 as the new CEO of the city, taking over for an 8-term mayor David Berger when he decided not to run for re-election. Jeff Fitzgerald sat down with the mayor recently.
Mayor Smith immediately faced challenges related to housing, a dwindling population, safety service staffing levels, safe and livable neighborhoods, and keeping up the city parks. All of this affects the efforts to grow the city. She learned real quick there is a major difference between being the city's chief of staff and being the boss.
"There is a big difference between actually being an assisting coach and actually coaching the game, right?" stated Mayor Sharetta Smith, City of Lima. "And so, one of the biggest differences that I've learned in the two different roles is the ability to have to be everywhere and to step back a little and look at things more so big picture as opposed as how it may affect what's on my desk and what I'm responsible for."
The mayor hears the excitement from city residents about the direction the city is going. She is committed to continuing and growing partnerships with Allen County, the State of Ohio, and working closely with Lima City Council. The city is hiring new police officers and firefighters, and working with the civil service board to broaden its testing outreach, thus expanding the job pool. Her biggest challenges thus far, are two things.
"Managing expectations and also managing change," said Mayor Smith. "You know we want growth and we want progress but we don't want to see the orange cones and traffic barricades on our way to work and so just being able to manage those expectations. And I've learned that communication is key, building consensus, building alignment around shared goals has helped us move things along."
In part 2, the efforts the mayor and her staff will make to keep communication open and growth happening.
