It wasn’t lost on Suddith that the Kettering City Council was losing Lehner’s 30 years of experience in public office, along with the experience of outgoing council member and former Vice Mayor Jacque Fisher, who reached her term limit and was unable to run again.
But that did not deter Suddith from having a positive outlook of Kettering’s future.
“We find ourselves with the least experienced council that has sat at this dais in over six decades,” Suddith said. “...Those two ladies walked away with more experience than we possess combined here tonight. But with that, I remain optimistic about our ability to tackle challenges.”
Also joining the council are two newcomers, Laura Arber and Dan Palmer, who were elected in November to two at-large seats on the council.
Suddith assuming the role of mayor also meant he had to vacate his seat on the council, which will remain vacant until the May 5 election.
“This is largely a procedural matter,” City Manager Matt Greeson said about the council voting to accept Suddith leaving his District 4 seat.
The city will notify the Montgomery County Board of Elections of this vacancy, so the board can then start accepting petitions for the candidates to run for that seat in May.
Looking ahead, Suddith focused on themes of business growth and redevelopment.
“We’re moving quickly to change the landscape of the city (that will) provide opportunities for new businesses in every corner of our city — not downtown or uptown, but at all sides of our large community," Suddith said.
Suddith expects the city to face budget challenges, he said, adding that those challenges “can be a catalyst for innovation and creativity in both processes and delivery of services that are expected by the residents.”
“I look forward to that challenge with you,” Suddith said to the council Tuesday evening. “Our collective expertise and passion can drive legislation that will create jobs and drive economic development.”
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