Jim Friel seeks Newcomerstown mayor's job

Jim Friel, son of the late Ora and Wilma (Liggett) Friel, is one of two candidates opposing Newcomerstown Mayor Jim Carr in his re-election bid Nov. 6.

The winner will serve a four-year term with an annual salary of $10,000. The salary had been $20,000 but was cut in half by a vote of council.

The candidates are independent Carr, Democrat James A. Friel and Republican Steven B. Guy.

At the end of his current term, Carr said he will be the longest serving mayor in village history with eight years. The previous mark was six, he said.

Comments from Carr dominated the story today in the Times-Reporter.

“I want to see things continue forward like they have been,” Carr said. “I hear it’s time for a change, but I’d like to say that under my administration, with good people around me, we’ve accomplished quite a lot. We’ve obtained over $2 million in grants.”

Friel said he is running because “I feel the departments in the village need guidance, and I feel they don’t have that right now. I want to see some changes in the village. There are some issues, such as flooding, our infrastructure, such as streets, water and sewer lines, that need to be improved. You always like to see more jobs, so I’d work the best I can to get jobs and businesses in here. I feel my experience makes me qualified for the job.”

He sees the issues as being infrastructure, jobs and coordinating the departments to work better together. He added the municipal building needs to be improved and made handicapped accessible or another one built.

As for working better together, he said one department needs to know what another is doing so that they can best coordinate use of equipment and making sure something, like a waterline replacement, is done before street paving goes on.

Friel said that while he was on council from January 1998 to December 2001, the village initiated renovations at the wastewater treatment plant renovation, attracted businesses to the community and implemented policy and procedure manuals for departments. While on the board of public affairs, he helped aid in completion of Phase II of the wastewater treatment plant renovation; initiated the County Rd. 15 lift station project and made manhole and sewer line improvements for Mulvane and State Sts.

Guy served as a councilman for about 9 1/2 years since the 1980s and filled in for about 45 days when a previous mayor had to go to China on business. He said he and his family are life residents of Newcomerstown and he is running because he is ‘concerned about the village.

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