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Canal Winchester Messenger - January 24th, 2021

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www.columbusmessenger.com<br />

<strong>January</strong> 24, <strong>2021</strong> - MESSENGER - PAGE 5<br />

Being a mayor in small town America<br />

By Linda Dillman<br />

Staff Writer<br />

What is life like serving as the mayor of<br />

a small town in Ohio?<br />

Just step into the shoes of village of<br />

Lockbourne Mayor Christie Ward, whose<br />

heart never strayed far from home and who<br />

now guides the town where she grew up.<br />

Roots<br />

“I have lived in Lockbourne most of my<br />

life,” said Ward, who learned how to swim<br />

when the YMCA brought a container to the<br />

village on a flatbed truck used as a mobile<br />

swimming pool. “During Halloween on<br />

Beggars Night, some of the ladies in town<br />

would make special treats such as chocolate<br />

cupcakes, homemade donuts, and popcorn<br />

balls. We would hang out with friends<br />

all day, but always had to be home before<br />

dark.”<br />

Ward graduated from Hamilton<br />

Township High School and then attended<br />

college in Circleville. She lived in central<br />

Ohio for several years before deciding to<br />

move to New York City.<br />

In 2015, her father died and Ward knew<br />

it was time to come back home to be with<br />

her family. She has come full circle and<br />

lives in the house where she grew up. That<br />

circle now incorporates the title of mayor of<br />

Lockbourne after serving on the village<br />

council from 2006-15. She served as council<br />

president pro temp from 2010-15.<br />

“My mom was the first councilwoman in<br />

the village, so public office is in my genes,”<br />

said Ward.<br />

At first she dismissed the idea of running<br />

for mayor, but Ward felt it was something<br />

she wanted to do for the town.<br />

“I felt the village was going in the wrong<br />

direction and was decreasing in population,”<br />

said Ward. “The mindset of leadership<br />

throughout several administrations<br />

was to keep the town small and not grow.<br />

That created a downward spiral for<br />

Lockbourne as we were the only community<br />

that did not benefit from the<br />

Rickenbacker-area growth. I believed that<br />

Lockbourne was at risk of not existing. I<br />

decided to run for mayor to help move the<br />

town forward.”<br />

Fake check warning<br />

Franklin County Auditor Michael<br />

Stinziano warned residents about a recent<br />

scam where fraudulent checks appearing<br />

to come from Franklin County are arriving<br />

to unsuspecting individuals across Ohio<br />

and in other states.<br />

The checks, dated Dec. 23, are all for the<br />

amount of $2,950.99, appear to be more<br />

than an isolated effort to defraud unwitting<br />

individuals and the county.<br />

A coordinated effort between the<br />

Franklin County sheriff, treasurer and<br />

auditor is underway.<br />

“I take consumer protection seriously,<br />

and will assist in prosecuting would-be<br />

scammers to the fullest extent of the law,”<br />

news briefs<br />

<strong>Messenger</strong> photo by Linda Dillman<br />

Lockbourne Mayor Christie Ward<br />

Lockbourne is a tight-knit community<br />

and normally candidates running for office<br />

do not campaign. However, because Ward<br />

was running against an incumbent, she<br />

launched a campaign to get her message<br />

and vision for Lockbourne out to residents.<br />

Despite a “temporary” move to New<br />

York City, to Ward, Lockbourne was and<br />

always will be home.<br />

“No matter when I lived or traveled, I<br />

always knew I could come home,” said<br />

Ward. “Several residents are childhood<br />

friends; others are new friends and those I<br />

haven’t gotten to know yet hopefully will<br />

become friends. Because we are a small<br />

community, we know our neighbors, watch<br />

out for each other and are willing to help<br />

out when needed. There is a true sense of<br />

community here. We really care about each<br />

other.”<br />

Challenges for Lockbourne<br />

As mayor, Ward faces challenges<br />

Stinziano said. “Keeping the residents and<br />

businesses of Franklin County safe from<br />

fraud while being a good steward of public<br />

dollars remains a top priority of this<br />

office.”<br />

As there are multiple security measures<br />

in place to keep taxpayer dollars safe,<br />

there is currently no risk to county funds.<br />

Individuals receiving an unexpected<br />

check from the Franklin County Auditor’s<br />

Office are encouraged to call (614) 525-<br />

7346 to verify the validity of the check.<br />

Intersection improvement<br />

The village of Obetz engineer is working<br />

on plans for improvements to the Bixby<br />

Road/Groveport Road intersection. The<br />

improvements will be completed in <strong>2021</strong>.<br />

impacting larger communities as well, such<br />

as increasing revenue and improving public<br />

services. Village leaders want to keep<br />

Lockbourne a small quaint community, but<br />

grow in a smart way. Bringing in more revenue<br />

is crucial to remaining viable.<br />

Ward said water and sewer bills have<br />

been a point of pain for residents for years<br />

and her administration is looking for the<br />

right solution that will help lower bills. She<br />

is also concerned with decreasing negative<br />

impact from growth in the neighboring<br />

Rickenbacker area.<br />

“With more warehouses popping up all<br />

around us, we continue to work with our<br />

Rickenbacker partners on monitoring the<br />

traffic and stormwater impacts,” said<br />

Ward.<br />

Spring Alley Channel is another issue of<br />

local concern. The stream flows along the<br />

south perimeter of a park just below the<br />

houses along Commerce Street. The stream<br />

is filled with debris and stagnant water,<br />

which causes a mosquito problem, not only<br />

in the park, but throughout the town in the<br />

summer.<br />

“We are currently applying for grants to<br />

clean up the stream and regrade it so the<br />

water will have a continuous flow to the<br />

Big Walnut,” she said.<br />

Ward points with pride to building<br />

BETHANY<br />

LUTHERAN<br />

CHURCH, LCMS<br />

1000 Noe-Bixby Rd., Columbus, OH 43213<br />

telephone: 614-866-7755<br />

Traditional Worship Service: 9:00 a.m.<br />

Sunday School at 10:30 a.m.<br />

Visit us on Facebook or visit our website at:<br />

bethanylutheranchurch@weebly.com<br />

<strong>Messenger</strong><br />

South<br />

strong local, regional and state partnerships;<br />

improving communications with residents<br />

leading to more resident engagement;<br />

and establishing an organized government<br />

structure to improve public services.<br />

However, there are always challenges,<br />

such as juggling projects and issues that<br />

need attention, including organizing the<br />

village office and ensuring that everything<br />

is in place, fixing problems that have<br />

affected the village for years and moving<br />

the village forward.<br />

Small town America<br />

“Lockbourne is true small-town<br />

America, with no traffic lights in town.<br />

People still sit out on their porch, know<br />

their neighbors. It is very generational–<br />

some folks have lived here their entire life,<br />

others have moved away but find themselves<br />

coming back home,” said Ward, who<br />

said she has responded to calls for help in<br />

the middle of the night while still dressed<br />

in pajamas. “There are some residents who<br />

have many members in their family living<br />

here too. One of the former postmasters<br />

reminded me that it may be difficult being<br />

mayor in a small town, because if you upset<br />

one resident, then you could have the<br />

whole family upset with you, too.”<br />

Please visit the<br />

South Church<br />

of your choice.<br />

List your Worship<br />

Services here.<br />

For info. call 614-272-5422<br />

Be a Part of Our Local Worship Guide<br />

Our Worship Guide is geared toward celebrating faith and helping readers connect<br />

with religious resources in our community. Make sure these readers know<br />

how you can help with a presence in this very special section distributed to more<br />

than 19,000 households in the South area.<br />

Contact us today to secure your spot in our Worship Guide.<br />

614.272.5422 • kathy@columbusmessenger.com

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