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