Marijuana, Miracle Mile, money: Mansfield mayor looks at first 6 months, ahead to next 6

Six months into her first term as Mansfield mayor, Jodie Perry is finding her footing.

The Republican took time to reflect on her tenure so far while Mansfield City Council is on its summer hiatus until Tuesday.

Perry was the president and CEO of Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development. She has other chambers of commerce experience in her background.

December 2023: Jodie Perry sworn in as next mayor of Mansfield in packed ceremony

"It's been my experience that the first six months, you're really running someone else's organization. It reflects them; it reflects their leadership," Perry told the News Journal. "The second six months, it really starts to take a little bit more of a reflection of your leadership.

"After a year, it's even stronger. Recently, I'm starting to see that reflection of my approach to things, both internally as well as in the city. That encourages me to keep going, especially on those hard days."

Perry already has her eyes on the 2025 budget.

"That's what's going to control what we can do in so many ways," she said. "My approach to that is, 'What do we want to do' and budget for that, instead of 'here's what we have to spend; what are we going to do with it?'''

With less money coming into city coffers this year than in 2023, Perry said she would "love to have the budget in a different place."

"I didn't get to control much of this year's budget," Perry said. "There are times where I say, 'I wish I could make that different.' Next year, we'll be able to make that happen."

More: First-year Mayor Jodie Perry delivers first state of the City of Mansfield address

Perry called her first six months on the job "very eye-opening."

"It's a really different pace from my time at the chamber," she said. "It's a lot more public. That's been a little bit of an adjustment."

Perry added she is not used to running such a large organization. The city of Mansfield has more than 450 employees. About 350 of them report to Perry.

"That has caused me to rethink my leadership skills and making sure how I'm communicating my own vision and what I'd like to see on so many levels," she said.

Perry has no second thoughts about seeking public office

She added she has no second thoughts about entering politics.

"What I love is the ability to actually make things change, not by dictating, but by sitting in a seat where you can have some influence," Perry said.

She said she is more than a full-time mayor, putting in 50 to 55 hours a week.

Perry pointed to some of her early accomplishments, including making improvements to the city parks. She said residents made that an issue during the campaign.

She credits Louis Andres, her appointed public works director, with taking the lead in that regard. Andres brought to the job much experience with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

"He just brought in a whole different mindset," Perry said. "It's helped us take a fresh look at our parks. I think people are noticing the changes."

Perry has dealt with a couple significant personnel moves early in her first term. Keith Porch retired as police chief in February and moved to fill the safety service director's spot.

Jason Bammann, who had been the assistant chief, replaced Porch.

Perry said Bammann has done a great job, while Porch has helped the city take an expansive look at public safety.

There have been other adjustments Perry has had to make.

"For me, it's definitely taken me some time to get up to speed on the city structure," she said. "It's my first time working in a bargaining environment. We're off to a good start establishing a good relationship with our union partners."

New mayor talks about big issues city has faced

Two of the major issues in Perry's tenure have been marijuana dispensaries and cracking down on cruising on the Miracle Mile.

During its most recent meeting, city council voted not to impose a six-month moratorium on marijuana dispensaries. Perry and other city officials are getting ready for such businesses to come to town.

The issue came up at a planning commission meeting this week.

"Now that we're going to allow recreational use, we're going to propose to repeal the medical marijuana prohibition that's out there," Perry said.

She added licenses from the state are for dual purposes.

City council will be asked to zone marijuana dispensaries as B-2, which covers larger businesses with more requirements.

State requirements mandate such facilities be a mile apart and at least 500 feet away from such places as schools, parks and libraries.

"We spent some time mapping that out," Perry said. "That narrows, a lot, places they can go."

She said the city has to sign off before people behind marijuana dispensaries can apply for a permit.

More: Marijuana dispensary advocates talk about coming to Mansfield

Residents have weighed in on cruising crackdown

Asked about feedback she has received regarding cruising on the Miracle Mile, Perry laughed.

"We've got lots of feedback, far beyond any other issues," she said. "We've gotten feedback on both sides, particularly people who live close to there and have deal with those issues (noise and safety) for years.

"The calm and the quiet has been welcomed by many of those folks. There are many other folks who are certainly upset about this interruption of a longstanding tradition."

More: Gilliam starts online petition in response to cruising crackdown on Miracle Mile

The city in June began putting temporary speed bumps on Park Avenue West on weekends.

"We're trying that as a pilot. We don't know that they'll stay there forever," Perry said.

She encouraged residents to continue to provide input.

"I'm trying to respond to emails. If someone calls, we're noting it," she said. "It's definitely not my intention to discredit public feedback."

Perry looking at 2025 budget

Looking ahead to the next six months, Perry said she wants to have clear budgetary goals for each department.

"We want to make sure we're kind of mapping out the next 18 months," she said. "We want to go after outside money, but we need to have plans in place for that."

Perry also wants to have plans for a city pool by the end of the year. Those plans would include a location and a rough idea of a budget.

"It's not going to be built next year, but that way I have a price tag, and I can go find money," she said. "A pool is a huge project."

The city also has to decide how to allocate the remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds by the end of 2024 and have any related projects completed by the end of 2026.

Perry estimates there is between $1.5 and $2 million of ARPA money left.

The News Journal asked Perry what else she wanted the residents of Mansfield to know.

"I'm appreciative about how much people care for the community," she said. "I hope they will continue to communicate, and I'm thankful for the privilege of getting to do this job."

mcaudill@gannett.com

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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mansfield Mayor Jodie Perry reflects on first six months in office