Lima 1st Ward Councilor Todd Gordon, right, files paperwork Thursday with Allen County Board of Elections Director Kathy Meyer to become a candidate for Lima City Council president.
Craig Kelly | The Lima News
LIMA — For nearly 10 years, 1st Ward Councilor Todd Gordon has called on the people of Lima to “be good to each other” at the end of every Lima City Council meeting. He is now hoping that voters in Lima will be good to him in next year’s election.
Gordon filed paperwork Thursday at the Allen County Board of Elections to declare his candidacy for council president. If elected, Gordon would replace current president John Nixon, who announced in November that he would not run for re-election next year.
Gordon retired earlier this year from Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution. As far as his political career, after an unsuccessful run for council in 2005, Gordon was elected unopposed in 2013 to represent the 1st Ward, which encompasses part of the northern end of Lima.
As council president Gordon would, if elected, oversee council meetings and have more authority as far as authorizing city ordinances and filling in for the mayor while the mayor is absent.
“You’re still a single vote,” Gordon said, “and I will still always vote the same way I always did. If it’s right, I say yes, and if it’s wrong, I say no.”
Gordon sees his nearly 10 years on Lima City Council as an asset he would bring to the position, should he be elected.
“I have a lot of experience,” he said. “I figure I’m the next person to fill in when John [Nixon] leaves. I’ve always been interested in moving forward in my career in politics, so this would be the next step, and I’m excited to do it.”
One priority Gordon would emphasize in his role is complementing what he says are the efforts by Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith to strengthen the relationships between city and county officials.
“I have good relationships with folks at the county,” he said. “I want to help move everything forward as she’s been doing.”
While Gordon’s primary focus has been on his ward during his tenure on Lima City Council, he said he recognizes that serving as council president means that his energies would need to be expanded to encompass the entire city.
“That will give me the opportunity to work with more people, and that’s something I’m excited about,” he said. “I’m a people person, and I’m very excited to be able to work throughout the whole city instead of just the 1st Ward. The sole reason why I do this is to help people, and I think that’s our calling.”
Gordon is the first to announce his candidacy for this position. The deadline to declare as a candidate is Feb. 1.
Reach Craig Kelly at 567-242-0391 or on Twitter @cmkelly419.
