CRESTLINE — Republican Linda Horning Pitt has been sworn-in and is ready to start her position as the mayor of Crestline.
Pitt won the general election against independent candidate John Jones in November and is excited to serve her hometown.
“I grew up in Crestline and have been back for three years,” Pitt said. “My family is here, and I love my town.”
Pitt replaces acting mayor Joy Miley who, as council president, had to take over the position when former Mayor Allen Moore resigned after he was caught on tape using racial slurs.
Pitt said she wants healing for the village and to bring people together.
“We have a great staff and a lot of positive things happening for Crestline right now,” Pitt said. “It’s time to move forward together.”
Pitt said one of her top priorities is to update the village’s computer system.
“Our staff need to be updated to Windows as some programs are still DOS-based,” Pitt said. “Our fiscal officer cannot even reconcile our financial records because her system is in DOS and other programs are Windows-based. That needs to be corrected as soon as possible.”
She said another topic high on her list of priorities is already underway.
“We will continue with the sewer upgrades that have already started,” she said. “We need better infrastructure to attract businesses and industries to our area which means good-paying jobs for our residents.”
Pitt said once the infrastructure is properly in place, the village is in a great position to attract business and jobs.
“We have the railroad and the interstate to transport products that are made here,” Pitt said.
Pitt said she also is focused on the village’s upcoming census.
“We have to make sure everyone is counted. It is imperative for the village to receive state funding,” Pitt said. “We are missing out on at least $500,000 now based on the census 10 years ago so I want to ensure that everyone is counted.”
She also will be searching for grants to help with infrastructure and other projects.
“I am working closely with our state representative, Riordan McClain, to find and apply for all the grants we possibly can,” Pitt said.
She will be meeting with all village employees to ensure they have the most up-to-date training and certifications for their positions.
“I want to cross-train too so they can do each other’s jobs when someone has to be off due to illness or vacation,” Pitt said.
Pitt said the village has a great council in place along with the administration and staff at village hall.
“We have a lot of good people in place to facilitate positive change and growth for our village,” Pitt said. “Crestline is already on the right track with many exciting things happening and I will continue on that path.”