MOUNT VERNON – Amber Keener says she lets city residents determine her platform on Mount Vernon City Council so she can serve the community and hear what their concerns are.
“Having Ms. Wheelchair Ohio come through [happened] because I was hearing from a lot of people about accessibility issues,” she told the Mount Vernon News.
Instead of a bunch of able-bodied individuals talking about the problem, she suggested reaching out to people in the community with accessibility issues. That led to Keener coordinating a visit by Laura Sykes, Ms. Wheelchair Ohio. Sykes met with Main Street Mount Vernon Downtown Director Anthony McNeil and gave the city a glowing report, Keener said.
“Downtown has really good sidewalks. It has good on and off ramps. It has a lot of small businesses which are handicap accessible, which she was very excited about,” Keener said.
Sykes, who lives north of Bucyrus, planned to come back to Mount Vernon for a festival.
“It’s something where not only was she willing to come through and point out issues that we had and positive things," Keener said, "but it's such a good town that she actually will come here for events, because it's more accessible than where she's living."
Another big issue for Keener and the city is master planning the parks system.
“A lot of Mount Vernon is still as it was 20 or 30 years ago," she said. "And in some ways, that's what creates its charm and its character."
They want the parks to welcome all age groups. She said that ties in with recreation, which also needs updating.
Keener, who is running to retain the at-large council seat she's held since her appointment to fill out Tanner Salyers' term this summer, serves in the second council position on zoning. Before becoming involved in the city, she said, she didn’t fully understand everything that goes into a development or into zoning.
Working on the Main Street Mount Vernon board of directors helped her understand the process of planning the downtown business district’s future and its history. The city just dedicated a historical marker at the Mount Calvary Baptist Church, a historically black church.
“I think that that kind of focus on our history will keep us grounded as we have population growth in the future,” Keener said.
She’s involved in projects ranging from downtown development to watching the budget to prioritizing finances to avoid raising taxes while encouraging growth.
“Today, I went and I sat at the courthouse for about two and a half hours and just watched the process so that I could see our law director at work," Keener said. "I can see the judge at work and see our probation officers and just get a feel for what those public servants are doing and how that’s serving our community."
