Mayor Lienhoop’s first 100 days are complete

The first 100 days of Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop’s Administration are in the history books. Lienhoop swept into office in January after defeating former Mayor Kristen Brown in last year’s Republican Primary.

Mayor Lienhoop says that there a number of areas that he thinks are important for the city to address. During his inaugural State of the City Address last month, Lienhoop said that the drug problem, particularly heroin, will only get worse before it gets better. He says that he is hopeful that a new partnership between the city and Reach Healthy Communities will pay dividends in helping identify the risk-factors that lead to drug addiction. Lienhoop says that its time to not only go after the drug suppliers, but also what drives the demand.

Lienhoop said that city police will continue to focus on drug and property crime. While Columbus is safe, he says that property crime has continued to be an issue. Lienhoop has also taken steps to grow the city’s economic base via an updated agreement with the local Economic Development Board (EDB). The Mayor says that it is important for Columbus to “not have all of it’s economic eggs in too few baskets.” With that, he says that his administration and the EDB will work to bring businesses to the area who are not as susceptible to the cyclical economics of automotive manufacturing and diesel engines.

Lienhoop added that he is sticking to his campaign pledge to foster a spirit of partnership and trust. During last year’s primary campaign, he took aim at Mayor Brown for the perceived high-turnover rates among city department heads. Lienhoop says that respect and and a collaborative spirit goes beyond the walls of City Hall. The Mayor says that he has met with leaders of other Indiana cities in an effort to look for improvements in how local government works, as well as finding common issues in which communities can work together. Lienhoop noted that city residents can expect more of that in the years to come.

As for grading his first 100 days in office, Lienhoop says that he’ll “leave that up to the voters and the critics.”