Reelect Kevin Corcoran as North Ridgeville mayor

North Ridgeville Mayor Kevin Corcoran has earned a second term. The 55-year-old Corcoran's leadership skills were tested when the pandemic struck a few months after he took office. He told us in an endorsement interview that he had to shelve his plans, including for economic development, and pivot to ensuring that city services continued. We were impressed with how the Republican managed the pandemic, and, for the most part, how he has managed the day-to-day operations of government in a transparent manner, including by routinely meeting with residents for coffee. In a replay of the 2019 race to succeed then-Mayor Dave Gillock, a Republican, Corcoran is facing off against Democrat Paul Wolanski. The 57-year-old Wolanski, like Corcoran, seems to care deeply about North Ridgeville and its residents. He's to be commended for offering voters a choice, but he lacks experience in government. In addition to running for mayor four years ago, he ran unsuccessfully for an at-large seat on City Council in 2021. He works in the service department of a car dealership and also chairs his church's board of trustees. Corcoran, by contrast, served on Council for 12 years, 10 of which were as Council president, a position that taught him the ins and outs of municipal governance. Before becoming mayor, he worked as a lawyer, primarily for Bob Schmitt Homes, which gave him a deep understanding of residential development, a key issue in the city. (Keeping a campaign promise from 2019, Corcoran gave up practicing law when he became mayor, although he said kept his law license current.) During a separate endorsement interview, Wolanski was critical of Corcoran's economic development efforts, echoing concerns he raised four years ago about the city's reliance on residential development. If elected, he said he would devote much of his time to working with existing businesses and trying to lure new businesses to the city. Mayors should be involved in economic development, but they also need to focus on running the city, which is why Corcoran was right to bring in a planning and development director. During Corcoran's tenure as mayor, new businesses have come to the city, including a Discount Drug Mart, a Starbucks and a second Chipotle. Corcoran also told us that several North Ridgeville residents had opened small businesses in town. He said steps were being taken to develop the area around state Route 83 and Center Ridge Road into a city center, although the work had moved slowly. Too slowly, according to Wolanski. He argued that the city needed more diversified development, including industry. Corcoran has succeeded in that realm as well. While on Council, he was involved in luring football helmet maker Riddell to the city from neighboring Elyria. Corcoran also pointed to Dayton Freight. It's planning to build a truck transfer facility on Taylor Parkway. The $38 million project is expected to create 150 jobs, he said. Yes, North Ridgeville does need to better balance residential and other development, but, as Corcoran noted, much of the city's developable land is zoned residential. There's only so much the city can — or should — do to limit such development. Flooding also remains a concern, but Corcoran said improvements had been made on that front as well. Corcoran has been instrumental in efforts to create a master plan for the city that has the potential to guide future growth in a more controlled way. The mayor also has supported North Ridgeville Schools' efforts to construct new schools to alleviate overcrowding brought on by residential development. He pushed for an ambitious plan to build a community center connected to a new high school. Unfortunately, voters rejected the idea. This isn't to say that Corcoran's tenure has been without controversy, particularly when it comes to Police Chief Michael Freeman. Rank-and-file officers complained about low morale, which many attributed to Freeman's micromanagement and berating of subordinates. Several officers left for other departments. The city brought in an outside law firm, which concluded that although Freeman's behavior was problematic, he shouldn't be fired. The chief instead entered into a "performance improvement agreement." Wolanski told us the mayor should have addressed the issues with Freeman long ago. We share that sentiment, but Corcoran told us that once the problems were clear, he moved forward with the outside investigation. For the sake of the city and its police officers, we hope Freeman improves, but if he is unable to police himself, he has no business policing others. Part of the problem could be that Corcoran long delegated oversight of the Police Department to Jeff Armbruster, who served as the city's safety-service director before leaving to become Lorain County administrator this year. Wolanski was critical of Corcoran for not filling the vacancy, but the mayor said he had, with the support of Council, split the safety-service director's supervisory responsibilities among three other city employees. He also has taken a direct hand in overseeing the Police and Fire departments. Time will tell whether that improves things, but Corcoran told us out that most residents he'd talked to were pleased with the safety the Police Department provided. Wolanski might make a fine mayor, but, on balance, North Ridgeville already has an effective one in Corcoran. Voters should keep him on the job.