LIMA — With the Tuesday primary election quickly approaching, Lima residents got another chance to hear from all three mayoral candidates — incumbent Mayor David Berger and challengers Keith Cheney and Derry Glenn — at a debate held Wednesday at the City Club.
Hosted by the Lima-Allen County Chamber of Commerce and the League of Women Voters, the debate brought a large crowd downtown, all of them eager to hear what each candidate would offer the city as mayor. Questions during the debate came from a panel consisting of representatives from The Lima News, Your Hometown Lima Stations, iHeartMedia, Childers Media Group, and the Chamber.
Being a Chamber of Commerce-hosted event, the debate included question’s on the city’s business climate, one which both challengers said was sorely lacking.
“I will cut down on the regulations we have,” Glenn said. “I have people come talk to me and say, ‘Mr. Glenn, I haven’t got this permit yet and I’ve been waiting for it.’”
“We are a very unfriendly business community,” Cheney said. “You talk about reviewing plans. It’s called pay-to-play. You pay us extra money and we’ll put your plans on the top of the pile. If you don’t, good luck. It may be three weeks, six weeks, 12 weeks” before they are considered.
Berger defended the city’s current practices when it comes to new businesses and said building codes and regulations come from the state, with the city obligated to enforce them.
“There are concerns every once in a while, but many businesses establish themselves and do well,” he said. “They are knowledgeable about what is required. There are some who are not familiar, and for them, it can be a frustrating experience.”
All three candidates also talked about workforce issues, with Berger asserting that part of the issue with workforce development is that many people are still stuck in a mode of thinking where Lima has no jobs available.
“We now have a surplus of jobs, and they are good jobs,” he said. “About 25 to 30 percent are for unskilled, low-wage earners, but about two-thirds of the jobs are, in fact, in good paying careers with benefits. The issue is that most people don’t know that good news.”
Cheney commended Ohio Means Jobs Allen County for their work, while asserting that drug issues in the city hinder workers from finding jobs.
“Unfortunately, with the heroin epidemic we have going on in Lima, that, unfortunately is very hard for some individuals,” he said. “We can do much better than we’re currently doing or we wouldn’t have 1,100 jobs that we’re hearing are available.”
For Glenn, the issue is the quality of jobs available.
“We have to look at these $10-per-hour jobs,” he said. “When you drive to Leipsic or Harrod and you have to pay child support, do the math.”
Other topics discussed included working with City Council, federal grant cuts, revitalizing neighborhoods, and life for minorities in the city.
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