Findlay mayor candidates debate city's future

Mayor Christina Muryn says it's "pedal down" on Findlay's success over the next four years if she's reelected, despite criticism from her challenger that the city is growing too fast. In a mayoral debate held in March, political newcomer Haydee Sadler, 47, said the city is growing so fast "that people's heads are spinning and they keep saying slow down." Sadler is challenging Muryn for the Republican nomination for mayor in the May 2 primary election. The winner will most likely be unchallenged in the November general election, as there is no Democratic candidate; however, independent and write-in candidates could still enter the Nov. 7 general election and vie for a city office. The filing deadline for independent candidates is May 1, and the filing deadline for write-in candidates is Aug. 28. 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. Sadler, 47, is a financial administrator. She ran in August 2022 for the Republican woman's seat on the State Central Committee for the 1st Senatorial District. She finished third in the three-way race, with the seat going to Gina R. Campbell. The mayor's salary is $90,156 this year, and the term is four years. Christina Muryn Muryn said Findlay's biggest challenge in the years ahead will be to maintain its "forward momentum." "Success can breed success, but if you let off the accelerator you can find yourself stopped on the highway very quickly," Muryn said. "We must continue to invest in our community through infrastructure which positions us for continued economic development, housing and, of course, completing flood mitigation efforts." Muryn said governing Findlay is a team effort. "Over the past four years I have been able to accomplish a lot with the support of the city of Findlay team," she said. 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 in 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." "Our number one strength is our people both as an overall community and as a city of Findlay government operation," said Muryn. "We must continue to work together to address our challenges and keep our eye on the future. We are in a great position to do that with the foundation we have established, but we have more work to do and I am confident we will get it done with myself leading the charge and an incredibly talented and dedicated team." Haydee Sadler While Muryn describes Findlay's government as a community asset, Sadler says "top-down" government is a threat. "I decided to run for office because I was beginning to see the threats of top-down government and how it came through our local government while simultaneously seeing the voices of the people in our community being ignored," she said. Sadler said she made the decision to run out of disappointment with the outcome of Findlay's strategic planning process. She was one of 40 people who volunteered for the Findlay Forward Community Outreach Team to help engage the public in planning and to interpret community input over the past year. Members were appointed by Muryn out of a group of 82 applicants in December 2021, with the goal of having a diverse team representing various city demographics, including different ages, ethnic backgrounds, education levels and neighborhoods. She said the strategic plan does not express the concerns of the residents she spoke to during the initial canvas. Sadler also has been critical of the city's use of grant dollars, which she said can arrive connected to both globalist and socialist agendas. She specifically mentioned the "Green New Deal," a plan that had been touted by the national Democratic Party. Findlay's $34.2 million capital budget for this year relies heavily on grant money. Grants are expected to cover about $10.5 million of the capital expenses, including about $2.7 million in money from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. "While I intend on tackling many issues while in office, I limited my platform to seven focused points: truth and transparency, infrastructure and development, property rights and eminent domain, the opioid crisis, illegal aliens in our city, medical freedom and the most important, our constitutional rights," Sadler said. "One of the greatest challenges I believe we face in our city is lack of unity," she said. "I honestly believe there was a lot of polarization through the pandemic, from religious differences to political ones. People have forgotten to have civil conversations and general love and respect for one another. That's something I practice and work on every day and I'd like to help people get back to those basic principles — it's okay to politely agree to disagree." She said the city's greatest strengths are its "compassion, kindness and patience. "Characteristics that we show as a city through programs like 'Celebrate Recovery' that celebrates every milestone and 'Welcome to New Life' that walks alongside those people making an effort to change, to the City Mission that helps feed those in need. Where would we be without them?" she said. Early in-person voting started Tuesday.