LIMA — For Lima mayoral candidate Keith Cheney, the city of Lima has been going in the wrong direction for nearly three decades, and it is time for a change. That was the driving force, Cheney said, for his decision to run to become Lima’s next chief executive, a changeover that has not taken place in the city since 1989.
Cheney, 56, was born and raised in Lima, graduating from Elida High School in 1978. Cheney’s business background goes back to his work running convenience stores, rising to become the chief operating officer at Certified Oil. While Cheney has never held elected office, he has been politically active as the chairman of the Allen County Republican Party.
For Cheney, that wrong direction for the city is evident in several areas as voters head into Tuesday’s primary election, with the top two vote-getters advancing to November’s general election.
“That decision was based on the facts that crime continues to rise, our housing continues to decline and home ownership continues to decline,” Cheney said. “I had to take a look, being a businessman, at frankly the way we run this city. This is not a business-friendly city, and that ultimately costs us when you’re playing in the sandbox with major companies that are looking to go to communities, that are looking to start their business or grow their business, and Lima has become a detriment.”
Crime
City officials say crime is declining in the city, with Mayor David Berger saying during an April 19 debate that there are fewer crimes in Lima than there were eight years ago, Cheney sees a more dire situation when it comes to public safety.
“Let’s get a dose of reality,” Cheney said. “In 2016 in our city, we set a 10-year high for murders. That tells me there’s a serious problem.”
At the root of much of the crime in the city is drugs, Cheney said, an issue that must be addressed with the proper personnel and equipment. One example Cheney cites as an example of a lack of proper management in this area was an issue with the Lima Police Department’s Enhanced Tactical Unit, which was put on hiatus for eight months after it was discovered the members’ protective equipment had expired. Cheney also takes issue with what he sees as a lack of proper staffing in the department.
“We’re operating today with a 1950s detective staffing level,” he said. “The caseload on the couple of detectives they have is atrocious. That tells me we need some better management. The department hasn’t been at appropriate staffing levels for virtually the entire 28 years of (Berger’s) administration.”
Cheney also called for greater effort in hiring minority police officers as a way to help address a lack of trust in the minority community when it comes to law enforcement.
Housing
The numerous blighted properties in Lima is of particular concern to Cheney, who maintained these dilapidated structures deteriorate neighborhoods and bring increased crime.
“As we sit here today, 214 properties have been identified, and the county treasurer is addressing those,” he said.
Another factor to deteriorating properties is a lack of proper code enforcement, Cheney said. Under Berger’s leadership, he said, the code enforcement department has not been proficient in finding violations.
“All you have to do is drive through the city, and you can see where code violations are occurring all the time,” he said. “It’s all about accountability. I will do a very in-depth study of each and every office and position to determine where the weaknesses are and determine how we can be more accountable to the residents.”
For some, violations may come out of an inability to maintain properties, rather than a lack of desire, Cheney said, and help must be there for them, he said.
“You may have elderly residents on a very fixed income, and they can’t afford to maintain their properties,” he said. “The same could be said for the disabled. So I will work with the private sector acquiring funds and getting the ability to marry the public and private sector together to help get their properties repaired.”
Many blighted houses are rentals, Cheney said, with some owners living out of the city or even the state with no concern for maintaining their rental properties. Those landlords must be held accountable, he said.
“There are some very good landlords, and I’m happy they’re here in our city to provide housing,” he said. “There are others that are out of county, out of state, and they don’t care for their properties. All they care about is getting their rent check. Those are the kinds of things we need to address.”
Cheney advocated for a landlord registration program to help keep out-of-town landlords accountable.
Economic development
Cheney praised the work of the Allen Economic Development Group and the Lima-Allen County Chamber of Commerce for their work to help bring businesses and jobs into the area. The city administration, however, could do more to help, he said.
“One of the problems in Lima is that we currently operate business at the speed of government,” he said. “You could turn in plans today, and it could be weeks before it would be reviewed. But if you pay a stipend, what I call ‘pay to play,’ then your plans would get reviewed quicker. That’s not the way you do business.”
Cheney pledged to have a building inspection department that would be available to prospective businesses any time of day, working on the business owner’s schedule rather than the reverse.
“In my administration, we’ll accommodate you,” he said. “I’m a firm believer in doing government at the speed of business.”
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