Thursday night over fifty community members, friends, family, supporters, and fellow politicians gathered at the Renaissance Theatre to officially kick off the campaign of Shelby Mayor Marilyn John for County Commissioner.
State Representative Mark Romanchuk introduced Mayor John.
“I think we would all agree that over the last three or four decades this area has been in decline and quite frankly that’s why I ran for office, to try and reverse that and get back to the prominent level we used to be at back in the sixties and seventies. If you recall Mansfield and the surrounding area had some of the best standard of living in the entire state and my goal is to get us back there. I think we would all agree that this area needs more economic activity, needs more jobs,” stated Romanchuk.
Economic development has been a particular area of concentration and a focus for Romanchuck at the state level and he is convinced that John will provide the same kind of leadership in Richland County,
“I know Marilyn is on the same page as I am when it comes to economic development. She brings to the commissioner’s office a strong business background which is essential to helping businesses and getting people back to work. She also brings a track record of leadership…I know she will be an advocate for our business community and an advocate for getting people back to work,” he added.
John was born and raised in Richland County, attended North Central State College and Ashland University, and has grown her family and her career in her hometown.
Some would describe the time she took to be a stay-at-home mom as “leaning out” or stepping away from her career, but John described it this way, “To the shock of my family, I decided to stay home and be a mom.
“This education and career driven woman who was not planning to ever get married and have children became a stay-at-home mom, one of the hardest jobs on the planet. Although becoming a mom changed my focus, it did not change my drive and I made a career out of being a mom,” said John.
When John did return to conventional employment she became the director of the Shelby Senior Center. “My first day on the job was August 21, 2007. That was the day of the flood of ‘07. I had six inches of water in my basement and fourteen inches of water in the new senior center,” she said.
Looking back John realizes that is the day her political journey began. As she toiled away, trying to help her organization survive, she became involved in city politics. Before long, and much to her surprise, John was elected mayor.
Over the last four years John has made significant progress in dealing with the centuries old flooding crisis that has plagued Shelby.
Romanchuck pointed to these successes as evidence of her abilities as a commissioner.
“She has shown she can find solutions to problems that have festered in this county for a long time. I’m talking about the flooding problem in Shelby. Not only has she started down a course to fix that problem, but now she is looking countywide looking for other community solutions to flooding. Ladies and gentlemen that’s leadership. She has been a leader in Shelby and I know she will be a leader in the commissioners office as well,” Romanchuk said.
John has an optimistic view of Richland County, and that informs her vision for the commissioner seat, “Recognizing the good and promoting it to our residents and to those outside Richland County is crucial to our success and is part of being in county leadership,” she stated.
“What is the role of a county commissioner? It is balancing a budget and setting an example of fiscal responsibility. It is creating an environment where our business community can thrive because government does not create jobs, people create jobs. It is developing strong lines of communication from government to government, from government to business and from government to community. Open and active lines of communication is the only way to know what our community needs and how we can meet those needs. It is to listen. Fresh ideas and fresh perspective should be welcomed. It is to be the face of Richland County,” concluded John.
“She brings to the commissioner’s office a strong business background which is essential to helping businesses and getting people back to work. She also brings a track record of leadership…I know she will be an advocate for our business community and an advocate for getting people back to work,” said Rep. Mark Romanchuk.
