LIMA — While many eyes have been on the mayoral primary race in Lima, another primary contest has quietly been taking place in Lima’s 3rd Ward, with incumbent Councilman Jesse Lowe II squaring off against challengers Michael Birchfield and Carla Thompson.
As with the mayoral primary, the top two candidates after the Tuesday primary will face off in the general election in November. While each of Lima’s wards up for election this year — 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th — are being contested, the 3rd Ward is the only one with more than two candidates, meaning the other wards will not appear on the ballot until the November general election.
While each candidate comes from different backgrounds and life experiences, all conveyed a passion for wanting to serve the neighborhoods in the vicinity of Lima’s downtown and east side.
Lowe: Joy to help other people
Born and raised in Lima, Lowe, 44, is a U.S. Navy veteran and has been the owner of Black Lace Hair Salon on North Main Street for the past four years. Lowe is now in his eighth year as 3rd Ward Councilman.
“One of the main joys I get from being on council is helping individuals,” he said. “A lot of people live here, but they do not know the ways to get answers and I supply them with answers.”
Lowe prides himself on not being a “yes” man on council, asserting that he stands up for the residents of his ward even if it is not the popular thing.
“They know I want to get the truth out of every situation,” he said.
While Lowe is happy to see developments in Lima’s downtown, he wants to see more attention go to the residential neighborhoods in his ward.
“My main focus this run is with neighborhood stabilization,” he said. “I want to work with people who have purchased homes here who want their streets right, their curbs right, their neighborhoods right.”
Lowe also wants to work for more safehavens for children as well as parks improvement with new equipment and possibly the creation of a dog park. Lowe also expressed a desire to bring a fire station back to Lima’s east side.
Birchfield: Want to serve the public
A lifelong Lima resident, Birchfield, 40, is a volunteer at the Lima Family YMCA, Veterans Memorial Civic Center, ArtSpace/Lima and Square Fair.
“The best way to be involved with people is to serve people,” he said. “The city and the public are very important to me.”
While he described Lowe as “a good guy,” Birchfield felt that Lowe is not out among the people enough, something he can do.
“In order for people to know what you stand for, you have to be out there,” he said. “I want to be (the people’s) voice.”
Among Birchfield’s priorities are addressing crime in Lima, suggesting a firearm turn-in event as a possibility.
“We don’t want parents to worry if their son or daughter will be safe going to school,” he said.
Birchfield also called for greater focus on the opioid epidemic, advocating more frequent drug turn-in programs. He also advocates more resources for the city’s homeless, either through more facilities or an easier path to resources like the Lima Rescue Mission, along with more efforts to discourage panhandlers.
Birchfield also advocates an additional fire station on Lima’s east side, preferably the closed Station No. 5 on East Elm Street.
Thompson: Focus on neighborhoods
Thompson, 42, and her husband moved to Lima four years ago, having previously been educators in Cleveland. While Thompson’s husband is now a full-time educator at Rhodes State College, Thompson worked for the city’s water department for two years before becoming the community outreach and volunteer coordinator at Crossroads Crisis Center. She recently resigned from that position to focus more on social activism.
“I like being in the city of Lima,” she said. “My husband has a visual impairment, so it’s great being in the ward we’re in because we’re in the downtown area and he can get to the bus to get to work. Everything is very central and we can have our whole lives right here.”
Thompson is hoping to foster a greater sense of neighborhood ownership where residents become more community minded.
“I would like to encourage people to be more neighborhood and community oriented,” she said. “That could even be trash pickups.”
Thompson is impressed with the hometown pride growing in Lima’s downtown and wants to see that spread to the neighborhoods as residents engage more in the downtown area.
“I want to see more outreach between the businesses and the neighborhoods around it,” she said.
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