MANSFIELD — With the defeat of a political newcomer on Tuesday, veteran local Democrat Phil Scott can turn his sights on Republican David Falquette.
Scott, who will complete his third and final term as Mansfield City Council president in December, defeated Joel Vega, earning the Democratic Party party nod for a Mansfield City Council At-Large seat.
Scott, 64, won with 64 percent of the vote, besting Vega, 1,279-711, according to final, unofficial vote totals from the Richland County Board of Elections.
“I am hoping it was my experience on Council, after 12 years, my knowledge of Council. I am hopeful that’s what voters looked at,” Scott said.
Scott said he anticipates a battle against 1st Ward Councilman David Falquette, who was unopposed in the Republican primary Tuesday.
“It will be a tough campaign. We will get out and work our butt off and see what happens,” Scott said.
“Joel was a formidable candidate. I wish him the best and hope he stays active in politics and comes back,” Scott said.
Scott, 1996 Devonwood Road, has been City Council president for 12 years and is being forced from office due to term limits.
Vega, 40, of 655 Gilbert Ave., is the artistic director of Mid-Ohio Opera in Mansfield was in his first bid for elected office.
Scott, who served 17 years as the elected Richland County Clerk of Courts, said during the campaign he wants continue to serve Mansfield residents. Scott said he has lived in Mansfield most of his life, save for eight years in Shelby, where he graduated from high school in 1973.
Scott said he was elected council president in 2007. He said the city went into fiscal emergency in 2008 and didn’t emerge until 2014.
“If we don’t get a different mayor, in a few years possibly, unfortunately, we might be looking at a similar situation,” Scott said. “Let’s hope we don’t come to that. We’re just in a bad situation right now. The fiscal outlook is not good in the City of Mansfield if we continue at the pace we’re in.”
Scott said the heavy industrial days of Mansfield are in the past, but said current Republican Mayor Tim Theaker could be doing more.
“It would be nice if we had a mayor’s office that would be out maybe searching for those maybe larger firms that would be willing to come to Mansfield. In the meantime, we need to focus on those smaller businesses that maybe start out with five or 10 employees and over time grow,” Scott said.
Scott said the proposed Touby Run Flood Mitigation Hazard Project, including a dry dam, will be costly, but necessary.
“It’s a subject we’re going to have to face, if we ever want to develop that land, commonly called around here The Flats, it’s a flood zone. Nobody is going to build or redevelop there as long as it’s in a flood zone,” Scott said.
Scott said he is in favor of ideas developed in the Mansfield Rising plan.
“Mansfield Rising is a great thing. I am all for it. I want the younger generation to come and live downtown. We have a lot of potential apartments here in the downtown that would be viable for people to live in,” he said.
Scott said he also believes a planned city-wide water meter replacement program, though he worries about the increased water/sewer bills some residents may see.
“It’s a big bullet Mansfield is going to have to bite off. (But) when you are losing that much revenue in water, we have got to do something. Over time, those meters wear out and you’re not recording (correct) water usage,” he said.
