Currently serving his fourth term as Hiram’s mayor, Lou Bertrand faces a challenge by write-in candidate Anne Haynam.
Bertrand was first elected to office in November 2007, having previously served the village as a council member for 28 years, 12 of them as council president. He also served 10 years as special legal counsel for the city of Tallmadge, working on the creation of a 1,000-acre joint economic development district with Brimfield Township. A practicing lawyer for 55 years, he maintains a law office in Ravenna.
Bertrand said he is running for re-election to safeguard Hiram’s stability and success while, at the same time, controlling growth. Hiram, he said, is “one of the most beautiful villages in this area,” and he wants “to continue the past work we’ve done and lead Hiram into the future.”
Among Bertrand’s goals would be increasing Hiram’s livability, attracting a convenience store, improving village parks and adding a dog park. He would also like to add more sidewalks, increase the use and scope of Hiram’s hike and bike trail and encourage homeownership.
To increase the village’s tax base, it’s important to support local businesses, economic development in the village’s industrial park and enrollment at Hiram College, Bertrand said. He added that he meets monthly with Hiram College’s president and is now negotiating a safety contract with the college for needed services.
In recent years the college reduced and then completely cut its contribution to Hiram’s police and fire departments.
“We’re not adversarial,” Bertrand said. “They’re one of our biggest taxpayers.”
After 44 years as a village public servant, Bertrand said he knows what has and hasn’t been done, what has and hasn’t worked, and why. Somebody who has never been in Hiram government lacks that knowledge base, he said.
“It’s a mistake because you bring in people who have no experience. I’ve got a lot of experience. I think it lends itself to knowing how to run local government,” Bertrand said.
Village council’s committees are considering installing parking meters and speed cameras, as well as raising residents’ taxes, but Bertrand said the college’s decision to cut its funding contribution is only part of the reason. Additional burdens presented by cuts in state funding continue to plague all local communities, and the revenue must come from somewhere, he said.
More than anything else, Bertrand said he wants Hiram to remain a safe, beautiful community in which his grandchildren can grow up and call home.
Write-in candidate Haynam said her history as a 23-year village resident and Hiram College alumna positions her to understand issues facing both entities. The village, she said, has been “rolling with mediocrity,” and changes are needed.
“We need to develop better relationships with the college, which is our biggest asset, and we need to start working collaboratively with the township and college to address budget issues and start to grow. We need to work together to solve these problems,” she said.
A member of the village’s Economic Development Committee, Haynam said the college’s decision to reduce and then completely cut its contribution to Hiram’s first responders was a serious blow.
Potentially charging for parking, investing in and installing speed cameras, and raising residents’ taxes may help, but repairing relationships with the college and examining the village’s resources “to determine what its assets are and how they can best be promoted,” is critical to any long-term plan, she said.
The village and college are intertwined physically, economically and socially and need each other to thrive, Haynam said. She sees the mayor’s role as one of messaging, connecting and representing: all tasks she alleges have not been satisfactorily carried out in past years.
Haynam said she appreciates Bertrand’s dedication to civic duty, but said her fresh perspective would result in needed change.
“I’m tired of sitting here saying someone should do something about this. It’s time for me to step up and do something,” she said. “It’s time for all of us to step up and be a part of change.”
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.