From: Mayor Jim Lienhoop
Columbus
In a few weeks, our community will exercise its voice and begin the process of choosing our local leaders. We will vote in a May primary election for candidates for mayor and city council.
Mary Ferdon is a candidate for mayor. I will vote for her and encourage you to do so as well. I have worked with her the last seven years as we have addressed our community’s challenges and opportunities. She has proven herself to be a leader because she understands our needs and can develop and deliver solutions.
Mary understands that public safety comes first. All of us need to be safe and feel safe, and that requires effective law enforcement, firefighters and emergency responders. She has helped lead our efforts to increase their compensation and improve their training.
Mary was our leader in the construction of Evolution, a 12,000-square-foot training facility for police and firefighters. Mary oversaw our early effort to repair and refurbish all our fire stations.
Mary understands that it’s most effective to head off crime before it happens. Our innovative and proactive Intelligence Led Policing program has done just that. She will seek to ensure that program continues to be well-managed and well-funded.
How effective has this program been? Part of the answer is in the data. In the last five years, our city’s property crime rate has declined 44%. We’ve gone from 1,546 reported thefts in 2018 to 863 in 2022.
Mary also has a broader understanding of public safety, one that realizes substance use disorder as a significant source of crime, one that sees a link between untreated mental illness and its cost to all of us.
Mary was a leader in the creation of ASAP, our Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress. It serves as a model for surrounding communities and, by attracting federal and state grants to broaden our reach, helps our neighbors help themselves.
Additionally, we have started the discussion with local partners on how best to address mental health.
Mary’s past work as director of Volunteers in Medicine gives her a head start in understanding those challenges.
I encourage all to learn more about Mary and her plans for Columbus. Visit her website, mary4columbusmayor.com. Once you do, I’m confident you’ll understand why I support Mary Ferdon for mayor and encourage you to do so as well.
Editor’s note: This letter is paid political content. Political endorsement letters during campaign seasons are published with a $25 fee. They may be submitted to [email protected].
