Ironton mayor is one of two who have picked up petitions

It’s only January, but Ironton Mayor Rich Blankenship is already thinking about November and the next four years.

Blankenship announced Tuesday his intention to run for re-election.

In an e-mail to The Tribune Tuesday, the mayor said he had picked up a petition for the Nov. 8 election.

“I have many reasons for seeking re-election but mostly because I enjoy working with the public and giving 110 percent in making Ironton a better place to live, work and play,” Blankenship said in a prepared statement.

Candidates have until Aug. 10 to file their petitions. Each mayoral candidate is required to file a petition with at least 300 and no more than 400 valid signatures, said Eric Bradshaw, Lawrence County Board of Elections.

The mayor’s e-mail cited several of his accomplishments during his three years in office.

During his term the city replaced a 100-year-old water tank, reducing the city’s water loss by more than 20 percent, the mayor wrote.

The city’s sewer rehabilitation project, which is in its final stages, was listed as another accomplishment.

“Through persistent lobbying for funding we were able to secure $5 million from the stimulus package to reline 60 miles of dilapidated sewer lines throughout the city,” Blankenship said. “The project has allowed us to have accurate mapping, detect and repair water lines which will ensure solid infrastructure for many years.”

The mayor has also worked with the State of Ohio on the construction of a new Ironton-Russell Bridge, he said. Bids for the project will be advertised this summer and construction is scheduled for the fall.

The development of the city’s riverfront property is another project the mayor is working on. The city recently received $100,000 from the federal government for the Corps of Engineers for a feasibility study for the project.

A boating study was completed and submitted to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for the approval of the Boating Infrastructure Program.

“We have applied with the State of Ohio for Clean Ohio grants, which will allow for the remediation of the riverfront as well as adjacent property belonging to the Ironton Port Authority,” Blankenship said. “Plans are being developed to include bike/trails and park area as well as a new boat ramp.”

Economic development has been a major focus during his term, the mayor said.

“It takes hard work, patience and commitment to ensure each project comes to fruition,” Blankenship said. “Our efforts are proving to be successful as new businesses continue to move to Ironton. With good work ethics and effectively promoting our city, Ironton will attract more quality businesses.”

The mayor cites expansion at Liebert Corp. and the Fresenius Medical Care as economic development. Blankenship is pushing for the development of the former Ironton Iron property and the Ninth Street property, as well.

“I made a pledge three years ago to hold employees accountable, be fiscally responsible, demolish dilapidated structures, improve our streets and clean up our city,” the mayor said. “I feel as though we have maintained this pledge and will continue to make improvements. We have many areas to continue improving but understand we are moving forward.”

So far, Blankenship’s only potential competition is former police sergeant and current city councilwoman Beth Rist, who picked up her petition April 21 Bradshaw said. She has not filed yet.

Rist is in the midst of a legal battle with the city. Most recently, she filed an appeal with the Ohio Supreme Court to get back her job on the Ironton Police Department. She was fired in 2008 after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor for falsifying a traffic ticket.

An arbitrator ruled she was fired unjustly and that she should be reinstated as police sergeant.

Following the city’s appeal, Rist’s termination was reinstated. The Fourth District Court of Appeals upheld her termination.

Rist won a seat on the Ironton City Council in 2009.

Reached Tuesday, Rist said she still plans to run for mayor and that she is not doing so out of a desire for revenge. Some of the people who elected her to council want her to run for mayor, she said. Rist has 75 names on her petition so far.

“I truly am not running against Blankenship because he fired me,” Rist said. “I am running to attempt change in this city that has failed to grasp many opportunities to move this city forward.”