MANSFIELD — Stephanie Zader said she has no plans to go anywhere.
But she is leaving Mansfield City Council.
The At-large councilwoman announced at the end of Tuesday night’s legislative session she is stepping down from office, effective Sept. 30.
She will leave with more than a year left on her first four-year term.
“I came into office trying to make change and I’m watching things change in there,” the Republican said outside council chambers after the meeting.
“I don’t necessarily know that I love the direction that it’s going. I’m not going to throw anyone under the bus, but I had some meetings with some local elected officials and they don’t see the need to work with me,” Zader said.
“So I’m going to step away and hope that things go a good direction for this city,” she said. “It’s been a long time coming.”
Zader was appointed by Republicans in January 2021 to fill an unexpired term and then was retained by city voters during the general election in November of that same year.
The At-large council seat will be on the ballot again in November 2025.
Members of the Mansfield Republican Party Central Committee will select a replacement to complete Zader’s term.
Richland County Board of Elections Director Matt Finfgeld said Tuesday night the board had not received anything in writing yet from Zader.
Later Tuesday evening, Zader e-mailed a letter of resignation to parties involved, including the local elections board.
Under the City of Mansfield charter, her replacement must be selected in five to 15 days after the vacancy occurs.
The lawmaker declined to identify the elected officials she said didn’t want to work with her.
“You see all the grandstanding in that room and I think it has gotten worse recently,” she said.
“We’ve heard people say they’re not going to listen to their constituents. They’re going to vote how they see fit. They talk about their beliefs and that’s not what we’re here for.
“We’re not here to tout our beliefs. We’re here to listen to the people,” she said. “I think that I’ve been that voice continually in that room.
“It hasn’t always been what I believe, but it’s what the people have said,” Zader said.
She cited the debates that began this spring over allowing recreational cannabis dispensaries in the city after the passage of State Issue 2 in November. On that issue, 57 percent of Mansfield residents voted in favor.
Ultimately, council cleared the way for the dispensaries in June by a 5-3 vote with Zader in the majority. Along the way, there were heated discussions during council sessions, which continued Tuesday night as lawmakers repealed a ban on medical cannabis dispensaries in the city on a 6-2 vote.
“The people of Mansfield voted overwhelmingly, telling us they wanted this, and we have continually watched people grandstand for their own opinions and their own beliefs in that room. That’s not what it’s about,” she said.
“Unfortunately, I don’t necessarily feel that the administration hasn’t done the same thing,” Zader said.
“I feel that I’ve seen it through to a good point where now the people’s wishes will be honored,” she said.
Zader ran for mayor in May 2023, losing in the GOP primary to Jodie Perry, who won the seat during November’s general action.
“Obviously, everyone knows I ran for mayor and there’s been tension and I’ve tried to put it aside. I don’t necessarily know that it’s been put aside by everyone, though,” she said.
Zader said she has no plans to run for elected office again.
“But I don’t think it takes a title to be a leader. I don’t need a title. I’ve spent plenty of time in this building before I was a councilwoman and it doesn’t mean that I’m going anywhere because I’m not going to be a councilwoman,” she said.
“I still have relationships with all of the department heads in the city. They know they can call me anytime and I feel that I can do the same. So I will reach out if there’s an issue,” Zader said.
In addition to the cannabis issue, Zader said she’s proud of her work in helping improve the city’s snowplowing equipment.
“We went years without new trucks. I spent a lot of time down there in our service complex and learning the terrible condition of the trucks. We had people riding around in trucks for 12 hours that had exhaust leaks in the winter when rolling the windows down isn’t really an ideal thing because things are going to fog up and you’re going to be cold,” she said.
“So I would say that pushing to use some of (the American Rescue Plan Act) dollars, to help get that equipment and make sure that we’re taking better care of the roads, pushing for looking at how we plow roads and stuff (is a source of pride),” she said.
“I’ve made the analogy several times (under the previous administration) that the city was like the ‘Hunger Games’ (movie). We had this elitist government up here watching the show, but all these departments fighting over the budget and scraps.
“My big push internally was to change that and we have seen that change a lot. We have departments working together a lot better now than we did when I came into office.”
