MANSFIELD — Phillip Scott thinks the past 12 years as Mansfield City Council president have prepared him to become an At-Large member of the same elective body.
“I have learned a lot about the city,” said Scott, the former long-time Richland County Clerk of Courts. “I was kind of a county person, but now after having been council president for 12 years, it’s been a learning experience.
“Now I want to take that knowledge and experience and continue to serve as a councilman at -large,” Scott said Wednesday during the weekly Richland County Democratic Party luncheon.
Scott is opposed on the Nov. 5 ballot by current 1st Ward Councilman David Falquette, a Republican with a background in engineering, business and sales. Falquette is in the middle of first term on council.
Scott, 64, 1196 Devonwood Road, has been Mansfield City Council president for 12 years (2007-2019) and is being forced from office due to term limits. The Shelby High School graduate also served 17 years (1987-2004) as the elected county clerk of courts.
In 2008, Scott, who said he has lived in the city most of his life, said Mansfield went into fiscal emergency and that he served on the state auditor’s fiscal watch commission that helped guide the city back.
“We still have to watch,” he said. “There are still sometimes when we spend too much money on things we shouldn’t. But at least we’re not in fiscal emergency now. It’s always an ongoing process to make sure we don’t go back, because it could very easily happen.”
Scott talked about things he learned attending “Talk the Vote” sessions in various wards, a listening tour conducted by Richland Source.
He cited residents talking about snow removal and leaf pickup, updating the city website to make it more user friendly and the need to perhaps begin coordinating private trash removal in the city.
Scott said he supports the Mansfield Rising downtown investment plan and the $5 license plate fee increase approved by council in 2018 that helps to fund various projects. H
“After awhile, after some time in years and after we have done quite a few things, we need to move that to different neighborhoods and different areas of town that also need taken care of,” Scott said.
Scott also spoke in favor the proposed $15 million dry dam project at North Lake Park, officially known as the Touby Run Flood Mitigation Hazard Project. The project would virtually eliminate flooding in the city’s north end and allow for economic development in what is now a 106-acre flood plain.
“I know its a lot of money, hopefulyl we can see that happen with water and sewer funds. If we don’t have that project, we’re not going to be able to bring industry into the (north end),” Scott said.
Scott also spoke in favor of the citywide water meter replacement program, which city engineer Bob Bianchi said would pay for itself through increased revenue.
“I know some people are not happy about it,” Scott said. “But we are not collecting the full amount we should. It’s something that is long overdue. You can’t tell me Ohio Edison or Columbia Gas are going to have meters that aren’t working properly.”.
