The top vote-getter of every local election is named vice mayor for the next two years. Smallwood will succeed Eric Pohlman, who has two more years on City Council, in that role.
There are very few responsibilities for being vice mayor. Besides the title, filling in for the mayor as needed and seated to the mayor’s left, the only required responsibility for Smallwood is to sit on the Community Improvement Corporation board, a quasi-governmental organization that promotes economic development in the city.
Smallwood said she’s not only driven to meet goals and keep things moving, she does it with purpose and intention, “and I don’t see that stopping just because I’m a new city councilmember.”
Communication will be a common theme for Smallwood, whether it’s sharing her running list of ideas she will share with council and staff, or with the public on processes.
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
“Feedback should be continually sought from our residents, and that conversation should always be ongoing,” she said.
Smallwood wants to see continual diligence and intentional care within the city’s neighborhoods, and “safe zone our neighborhoods and prevent them from having any sort of deterrents that would disrupt their daily lives.”
Lauer told the Journal-News after the Nov. 4 election his second term started then as the job on city council is not passive. He believes being visible in the community is “absolutely number one” for any councilmember to do.
“Be visible, be out in the community,” said Lauer on Wednesday, ahead of passing out meals at the House of Deliverance on South Second Street. “I think it’s important we be as visible as possible.”
Lauer spends a lot of his time in the North End and the 2nd and 4th Ward neighborhoods.
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
“I believe in building sustainability, and I believe it starts in our neighborhoods we need to lift up,” he said. ”I think you have to be out in our most fragile communities making your face shown, trying to work on problems there in some of our neighborhoods that need it. I have dedicated myself to that.”
Naab, an Army combat veteran, told the Journal-News he wants to see some projects to fruition, such as the planned hotels at 20 High St. and the corner of High Street and North MLK Boulevard, and the construction begin on the Crawford Hoying mixed-use development at North Third and Black streets.
He said neighborhoods in the city has been and continues to be a top goal.
“Our strategic success for all neighborhoods remains my goal as we provide safe, clean, affordable, reliable, long-term services and benefits,” he said. “This makes Hamilton the attractive destination we are today, and will be for years to come.
“Our city team is dedicated to our residents and businesses, ensuring outstanding quality of life, public safety, and long-term economic prosperity as we all strive for excellence in all measures and outcomes.”
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