Write-in candidate for mayor loves politics

Findlay's Republican Mayor Christina Muryn has a single, independent challenger in the general election, set on making the race a little more interesting. Jeffery Simon, 80, of 1520 Logan Ave., is running as a write-in candidate. The Hancock County Board of Elections certified his written-in declaration in July. It's not the first time Simon has entered a race for public office. In fact, he ran five times for sheriff and was a candidate for Findlay mayor in 2015, before dropping out of that race. Simon is an artist, a welder, construction worker, painter, truck driver and poet, with an interest in historical items and a passion for politics. "I love politics. Letting people know what's going on and having the public get involved. Demand transparency in government," he said. "We have to see, use, our own resources and minds to solve our own problems." The mayor is looking forward to the end of a difficult election cycle. "The most challenging part of a campaign is certainly the criticism and personal attacks that occur. Unfortunately, there is very little to no accountability of candidates to speak truth and be accurate in their statements," said Muryn. "However, when you are the candidate in office there is an extremely high level of accountability about what you say." The hardest part, she said, is staying out of the fray. "That usually means not responding to inaccurate claims or misinformation. It is extremely difficult, but I try to just stay focused on the position and the great work I know that the city of Findlay team is doing under my leadership," she said. Muryn, 31, was appointed as Findlay's mayor in 2019, and was then elected to the position. She is serving her first full, four-year term. In her bid for reelection, Muryn won the Republican Party's nomination in the May primary election, defeating Haydee Sadler, a financial administrator, by taking 60% of the vote. Muryn and Sadler attend the same church and shared a friendship prior to the often contentious election. Asked to name some of her administration's accomplishments over the past four years, Muryn listed securing $30 million in state funding for flood mitigation and another $30 million for the I-75 and Hancock County Road 99 diverging diamond interchange as big wins for the community. She said planning for capital improvements is now based on a 10-year plan, not just five years, and the city continues to invest 20% of its annual income tax collections in capital projects, increased budget reserve requirements and "managed cash flows to have a strong cash position." In 2022, Findlay broke ground on the $2.4 million Simulated Tactical Response and Incident Command Training or STRICT Center. The city-owned training complex will be located behind Findlay Fire Station 4 on County Road 236. The STRICT Center will have a main training or tactical building and a "burn building," which will allow for local live-fire training, technical rescue, law enforcement, EMS and other training scenarios for the area's first responders. It is expected to open this year. Muryn said her administration has worked with economic development to expand existing businesses and achieve additional investments, earning Findlay its ninth year as being designated the "top micropolitan" for business growth among 543 small cities nationwide in 2022, according to Site Selection magazine. And that's all while supporting "residents, nonprofits, businesses and the city of Findlay team throughout the uncertainty of the pandemic and through the ongoing economic recovery," she said. "I am extremely hopeful for the city of Findlay," she said. "We are in a strong position to make some transformational investments, and changes to city operations which will ensure long-term sustainability, while also providing great opportunity and benefit to the residents of our community. I am also hopeful that some of the divisiveness and negativity that grew during the pandemic will dissipate and citizens will step away from their keyboards and have conversations with their neighbors."