MANSFIELD — The mayor’s office on the ninth floor of the Mansfield Municipal Building was recently completely renovated.
It will have a completely new occupant in January.
City voters on Nov. 7 will choose between Republican Jodie Perry and Democrat Sherry Vaught to guide the community of 47,669 residents for the next four years.
Mayor Tim Theaker is nearing end the end of his 12th year in office and is prevented by the city charter from seeking another term in office.
Perry advanced to the general election by easily winning a four-way race in May’s GOP primary.
In that race, Perry earned 56 percent of 2,843 votes cast to defeat current Finance Director Linn Steward (22.83 percent), At-large City Councilwoman Stephanie Zader (11.57 percent) and newcomer Jim Holsinger (9.46 percent).
Vaught was unopposed in the Democratic mayoral primary, receiving 1,332 votes, according to the Richland County Board of Elections.
The position pays $91,775 annually, according to the city finance department.
(Below is the second evening of Richland Source Candidate Conversations. The live interview with candidates for Mansfield mayor begins at the 1-hour, 37-minute mark. It was recorded on Oct. 26 at Idea Works in downtown Mansfield.)
Here is a look at both candidates:
Jodie Perry
The 46-year-old Perry, who lives on Davis Road, has a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Ashland University and works as the chief operating officer of the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development.
Perry, who has spent 20 years in economic development for various chambers of commerce, said she is making her first run for political officer because, “I believe we are at a pivotal moment for the future of our community.”
“To move forward, we must grow — both in bringing in more jobs and residents to the area,” Perry said. “We need a mayor who will be out front of issues, relentlessly positive, and able to bring people around the table to solve tough issues.”
If elected, Perry has three top goals — growth/economic development, infrastructure and safety.
“Simply put, we must grow. We are being outpaced by similar communities and I know that we have incredible assets here that will allow us to grow in an efficient and effective manner,” Perry said.
“We need more jobs and more people and I believe my background with the Chamber has me best positioned to led that.
“We need to partner with our county and regional economical development teams, ensure that we have adequate sites ready for businesses to move in, and ensure that we are aggressive in targeting new businesses to come to Mansfield.”
Perry said a capital investment plan for 21st Century infrastructure needs to be developed and followed.
“We also need to do as much as possible to leverage local dollars with outside sources to help us accomplish this. We also invested in a Master Parks Plan, but we need to be able to prioritize work so that it can be done so that our public spaces are places we can all be proud of,” she said.
Perry said she would work to ensure the city’s safety forces are fully staffed, properly trained and equipped with the right tools.
“We are all concerned with recent issues (the city has seen 11 homicides in 2023) and I believe the next mayor will have to be focused on this topic. I also think deterrence is important and that offering more opportunities for our young people we can ensure they stay on the road to a productive future,” Perry said.
She said her work on the Mansfield Rising downtown reinvestment program, development of a countywide branding campaign, the Main Street corridor improvement plan and other projects have shown her ability to bring people together.
“This is why I believe in the ‘Team Mansfield’ concept so fully — I know the power of collaboration from first-hand experience,” Perry said.
Sherry Vaught
The 61-year-old Vaught, who lives on Dream Drive, has a bachelor of education degree from Penn State University, a master’s degree in special education from Shippensburg (Penn.) University and a master of divinity degree from Yale University.
She has been a teacher in the Mansfield City Schools for 25 years, also working as a teacher in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and also as a church pastor.
Vaught said she is making her first run for public office because she believes in democracy.
“I feel it is very important to vote and that voters should have choices,” she said.
Vaught said she tells her students they can do anything they want and, “I kind of felt I had to put my money where my mouth is.
“I wanted to bring a fresh voice to city government in this time of change. Also, as a city school teacher, I feel that Mansfield families need a voice in our city growth and development,” she said.
If elected, Vaught said her top goals would focus on water and sewer infrastructure improvements, the city’s parks system and improving equity in government services, including “greater access and transparency.”
Vaught said she offers voters a “new voice with experience in Mansfield.”
“I am not aligned with business interests or the political elite of Mansfield. I am a new voice with experience in Mansfield,” she said.
“I am interested in our city government providing services to all residents and serving our community,” she said.
Vaught said Mansfield has the resources and human talent to grow innately.
“Our city does not need to give businesses and others that want to do business in our town huge concessions, tax breaks, etc. We have the talent, expertise and people to repair our infrastructure and grow,” Vaught said.
“A transparent, equitable and common sense approach to governance can help us retain our talented young people and provide a solid foundation for families and working folks.” she said.
“We can have space and place for the disabled, services like child and senior care, better and more complete housing, and more that I cannot even name because other citizens have those ideas,” she said.
Vaught said the city should focus on improving its water and other services to be ready for growth when it comes.
“We will grow and not have to fight with out-of-town lawyers about deserted, blighted empty spaces for 10 years before we can redevelop,” she said.
Click here to read all of the previous Richland Source election coverage.
