Meet the Richfield Village mayor candidates

Two candidates are running for mayor of Richfield Village. The following are questions posed to them by the Richfield Times and the candidates’ responses, limited to 250 words.

1. Will you continue to pay a company to maintain a vegetable garden at Town Hall for village employees? Yes or No.

Lyons: No.

Wheeler: No

2. With several green trails in our community that are used mostly by adults – Carter-Pedigo, Eastwood Preserve, Richfield Woods, Richfield Heritage Preserve, Furnace Run, Riding Run and Hawkins trail – what action if any will you take to provide tennis, pickleball or basketball courts, a skateboard or roller blade park and/or bike trails that would appeal to younger residents?

Lyons: We are overdue in providing recreation facilities for our youth, partly because we have failed to envision and adjust a comprehensive plan. I will pull out existing plans to determine their viability and work with the park board and council to update our long-term goals. Then we can set short-term and mid-term strategies to build amenities for younger residents.

Wheeler: Each of the activities listed in the question comes with its own set of concerns: location, construction costs, maintenance costs, liability insurance. The first step would be, with input from the village Park Board and the permission of village council, to solicit information from potential users which would include questions like frequency of use. Next, poll the local businesses and the surrounding municipalities for potential support and partnerships. Then develop a plan with a budget and timeline, followed by a presentation to the Park Board, village council and the community at large. Only after a thorough review by all the stakeholders should we move forward.

3. How would you organize employee comp time so that all departments are open to the public during all business hours?

Lyons: I will examine the current comp-time system for salaried employees to determine whether it should be eliminated. There was no comp-time system for salaried employees when I was mayor. All departments should normally be open during all business hours.

 Wheeler: Comp time management is just that – a management issue. Allowing comp time for salaried personnel is less expensive than paying overtime. Village hours are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. I will require all departments to be open and available during those hours. Safety forces are already open 24/7.

4. How would you, as mayor, adjust spending to assure the village’s fiscal future in view of recent increases in administrative staffing?

Lyons: The largest portion of the village’s budget is day-to-day operations, and the bulk of the operational expenses are personnel costs. I will not cut personnel just to reduce costs, but staffing should always be scrutinized to provide value for our tax dollars. We must thoughtfully measure staffing against the goals of each department and perform a cost benefit analysis of staffing levels. I will take a very conservative approach to staffing requests and replacements.

Wheeler: The tool that any organization, public or private, uses to assure fiscal health and stability is the budget. If we plan our expenses conservatively and anticipate our revenues conservatively, there shouldn’t be a problem in maintaining appropriate staffing levels, providing high quality services and continuing to make contributions to the rainy-day fund.

5. Although the service garage was recently remodeled at a cost of $1.4 million, it does not accommodate the village’s large equipment. Did you support this remodel and what is your solution to the problem?

Lyons: I did not support the remodeling of the Brecksville Road service garage because we had not developed an overall plan to meet the long-range needs of the Service Department. The short-term, expensive building renovation done without determining how it would fit into a comprehensive plan limits our options now and in the future. We can’t change that course of action, but I still advocate for a comprehensive assessment of Service Department operations and facilities.

Wheeler: I did not support the remodel of this building. The short term solution is the construction of temporary carports. The permanent solution to the problem is a carefully thought-out infrastructure plan for the Service Department before we construct more permanent buildings.