Six local candidates met with the Richland Source team and talked about their goals for three offices on the Nov. 4 ballot. Team members spoke with Don Bryant, Marilyn John, Phil Naumoff, Brent Robinson, Mark Romanchuk, and Phillip Scott. Today we’ll share our talks with Richland County commissioner candidates Marilyn John and Phillip Scott.
Shelby Mayor Marilyn John, Republican, and Mansfield City Council Phillip Scott, Democrat, shared their perspectives on what Richland County needs from a Richland County commissioner.
“I have been the mayor for five years, and that executive experience as an elected official is one of the key background experiences that I have as far as preparing me for Richland County commissioner,” stated John, “And we have over 100 employees for the city and a budget of about $34 million for the city, which is pretty equal to what the county’s budget is, so dealing with the budget, since that is one of the main roles of the county commissioner, has been great for me over the last five years.”
When reporter Emily Dech asked John what she sees as the biggest challenge facing Richland County, John said, “We face challenges when it comes to the drug problem, we face economic challenges, we face safety issues from flooding, but I think one of the greatest challenges we face is collaboration. We really need to come together on all of these issues.”
She added that the mayors of the county meet once a month and it has been in a collaborative way that they have been able to resolve similar issues by working together. “That doesn’t happen overnight. It takes effort. It takes commitment,” John said of the mayors’ collaboration which she would hope to expand in the county if she were elected.
She also noted that the county needs jobs and greater marketing for promoting the county, and she sees collaboration as the way to make progress. She noted the diversity in the counties assets including ski slopes, agriculture, local businesses, and the urbanization of downtown Mansfield as some of the appeal of Richland County.
In his interview Scott told reporter Brittany Schock that his many years in government have helped prepare him for a role as county commissioner. “I worked in the Richland County Clerk of Courts office for 13 years before being elected to the Clerk of Courts office in 1988…And then in 2007, I was elected president of Mansfield City Council and serving in that position till present. In working in both capacities, I’ve learned government: county and city,” he said. He also noted that he served on the Fiscal Watch Commission for the state of Ohio and all of those experiences gave him over 37 years of experience in government.
Schock asked him what he saw as the biggest challenges to the county.
“I think budget constraints [are an issue]. So far the county has been able to survive and do well but you have to keep on top of it. I feel, working with other county elected officials, especially working closely with the county auditor and the county treasurer to see that the budget does stay in good shape [is important]. Unfortunately we’ve seen a lot of cuts from the state which makes an additional challenge, so you’ve got to figure ways to work around the budget and be fiscally responsible,” Scott stated.
He said that he would work to bring businesses and industry to the county and create additional revenue. He added, “I think Richland County has a lot to offer.” He noted downtown Mansfield, agriculture and the arts are some of the county attractions that should be promoted outside of the county to attract business and industry.
Tuesday we introduced the first set of video interviews with state representative candidates Don Bryant and Mark Romanchuk. On Thursday we’ll talk with the judge candidates. Readers can view Tuesday’s interviews here.
Interviews with local candidates were conducted at Tog Loft studio on Fourth St., Mansfield and filmed by DRM Productions Inc.
