Mentor city manager preaches 'adaptability' during State of the City

Feb. 29—Mentor City Manager Ken Filipiak began his State of the City speech by talking about the woolly mammoth.

The 15-year veteran was not focusing his presentation on prehistoric animals, rather he was making a point to the large crowd on hand at Mentor High School's Paradigm on Feb. 27 about the importance of adaptability.

"As I share with you today some of the things happening in our city, the theme I am focused on is adaptability," Filipiak said. "If it seems that the pace of change is faster today than in days past, it's because it is. In just a few years we've changed the way we work, the way we shop, the way we've embraced technology, the way we think about and define equity, family, security, and so many other things."

"And like the woolly mammoth, to survive, and to thrive, we must adapt," he added. "Adaptability is not the same as simply conforming to change. Adapting is fluid, it requires action, preparation, investment, even nimbleness — it is a willful act. Conforming is a resignation to an inevitability that often begins with resistance to change. This applies to communities as well."

Filipiak stressed that communities that willingly adapt to change remain successful over time, and provided many examples of how Mentor continues to resist conforming and has leaned in to adaptation.

"Adaptive cities must have a reliable foundation. This includes financial stability, updated infrastructure, public safety and a developed economy," Filipiak said. "These four topics have consistently been identified as the most important by mayors and city managers across the U.S. for decades. Without stability in these basic areas, it's impossible to be nimble when faced with change."

Filipiak said Mentor is in the most sound financial position in its history with general fund reserves at their highest level.

And this comes as the caretaking of these public funds — Ohio Auditor Keith Faber presented Mentor Finance Director David Malinowski and his staff with the highest award achievable by a public agency — the Auditor's Award with Distinction, which fewer than 10 percent of public agencies will receive this year. The award reflects zero findings on the city's annual audit.

He also pointed out the work of the IT Department led by Chief Technology Officer Ali Seyhan and the ever-increasing percentage of the budget dedicated to IT to firm up network protection to safeguard public funds and resident and taxpayer information against breech.

The city also continued to invest heavily in traditional infrastructure with an ambitious capital improvement plan led by City Engineer Dave Swiger and his staff.

In 2023, the Center Street Bridge Deck was completed at a cost of $6.9 million while underside work continues this year.

An additional $6.5 million in local projects included several street projects that will affect major streets in the city as well as 23 neighborhood roads. Storm sewer improvements on Chillicothe and Fairlawn Roads and storm water improvements of 4,300 feet of open ditch will significantly increase the capacity in the Bellflower and Meadowbrook area — eliminating flooding in those neighborhoods.

Also, 18 miles of sidewalk repair are scheduled and Mentor continues to work with community cell tower/fiber/small cell providers to expand broadband capabilities within the city.

Filipiak lauded the work of the Mentor Police and Fire departments as first responders helped lower the rate of drug crimes, vehicle thefts and OVIs in the city. He also pointed out and showed video from two major 2023 events that required coordinated work from all departments — the EF1 tornado that touched down in August and the November shooting at the Mentor Mobile Green Estates.

Officers Shawn Wilson, Brad Nicholson, Chuck Cox and Anthony Haddad, who were the first to arrive at the scene of the shooting, were given a lengthy standing ovation by the crowd.

Recruitment to the police department and an upcoming Junior Police Academy were highlighted in the speech, as well as the upcoming construction of a new state-of-the-art Fire Station No. 3.

Filipiak pointed out the importance of local agencies supporting and contributing in the community as well as the continued addition of businesses to the Mentor landscape.

"Adapting to the changing needs of a community also requires a network of supporting agencies that serve people in ways that cannot wholly be provided by government," Filipiak said. "We are proud to have each of them in our city and to partner with them on the many contributions they are making to Mentor and Lake County."

Filipiak listed several agencies and their contributions to the city, including United Way of Lake County, Alliance for Working Together and the Lake Humane Society.

As for new business and industry, Economic Development Director Kevin Malecek and Planning Director Kathy Cantanzariti and their staffs were recognized by Filipiak for their work as the city issued 3,400 building permits with a total value of $170 million.

Highlighted were the Cleveland Clinic Mentor Hospital opening in July 2023, the sale of the Sears property at the Great Lakes Mall, which could generate new residential housing at the location, and the opening of global power Bloc Digital in the Matchworks Building.

Several restaurants that have opened or are planning on opening in the city in the upcoming year were also highlighted as well as several improvement projects and prominent locations in Mentor.

"Adapting to change is something we can either resist or embrace," Filipiak said. "The willingness to embrace it early generally leads to success.

"I believe Mentor's success has very much been tied to our ability to adapt to the changes we have faced in our short history," he added. "We will never be perfect, but as Winston Churchill once said, 'To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.'"