Leading U
Leading U is the podcast that aims to empower you to lead yourself to become the person who will achieve your dreams. This is a podcast for people who make a difference and want to use their influence to serve others.
Leading U
Mayor Linda Pitt's Path to Revitalizing Crestline
How does a small-town girl become a mayor and a senior director at a major legal insurance company?
Crestline Mayor Linda Pitt shares her incredible journey, from her roots as the eldest of six children to her influential roles in both politics and business. Linda's story is a testament to the power of community involvement and authentic leadership.
Linda shares about her experiences at the University of Notre Dame, where she broke barriers as one of the first classes of classes of women.
She talks about her unwavering dedication to fostering growth and positivity in her hometown and dives into the importance of building relationships for their own sake. Linda's narrative is proof that true leadership doesn't necessarily start with a title; it begins with authenticity, vulnerability, and a willingness to serve.
Discover how her efforts, along with key community collaborators, have sparked a revitalization in Crestline, transforming it into a town brimming with pride and enthusiasm.
Government roles in a small town like Crestline come with their own set of challenges, and Linda doesn't shy away from discussing them. From navigating red tape to fostering trust and integrity, she provides valuable strategies for overcoming these hurdles. For aspiring leaders, Linda underscores the necessity of active participation, self-development, and maintaining a positive mindset.
Tune in to hear how one woman's commitment to her community is making a tangible difference, and maybe, just maybe, get inspired to start your own journey of leadership and service.
Hello everyone and welcome to the Leading you podcast brought to you by the North Central Ohio Media Group and Josh Cole Coaching. I'm Josh Cole and I help leaders discover their edge by coaching the difference maker in them. This is the podcast for people who make a difference, who want to use their influence to serve others, and today I have a special guest in the studio with me. We've been working together since the beginning of this year and I'm incredibly honored to partner with her because she's a good leader and she has a lot on her plate. I'll give you just a short introduction to this talented and successful woman before we get going into our conversation.
Speaker 1:But Crestline Mayor Linda Pitt is in her second term as the mayor of Crestline. She is also a senior director with LegalShield Business Solutions. She takes their products to businesses and helps them save some time, money, energy with her identity theft, workshops and voluntary employee benefits. She's also been in management and sales in multiple capacities for the last 25 years. She's a stellar networker. She's often told me that it was the lasting relationships that she developed and maintained that has made her successful. And, above and beyond all that, mary Linda is a wonderful person who passionately advocates for what she knows is right. I really admire you for that. Her heart is big and her ambition to help as many people as she can is absolutely inspiring. So welcome to the Leading you podcast, mary Linda.
Speaker 2:Thank you, josh, I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm glad you came. It's such an honor.
Speaker 2:Well, it's funny because you know you said I thought we were together last year.
Speaker 1:We were, but I don't think I was officially working with your team until January. Right, right, so, but yeah, you're right, I think we started last year.
Speaker 2:Right, we were working together Right right, so but yeah, you're right.
Speaker 1:I think we started last year, right, we were working together. So time flies, oh it does Unbelievable.
Speaker 2:I know, I know, I know it. So yeah, but it's funny because, like you know, we've known each other maybe for a couple of years, but it feels like we've known each other forever. Yes, Right.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, we've gotten to know each other deeply and, of course, like I said, I have a high admiration for you as well. So I, man, I love the success you're experiencing in Crestline, I love what you're doing with your team, but you know, people know you as a political figure, mayor, governor. You know governance. Governor, who knows, maybe but you know you're known for the administrative piece, but maybe people don't know you as the person. So why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself personally?
Speaker 2:Well, you know, it's funny because you would think that they would know me, since I grew up there, you know, and so you know I was born and raised in Crestline. I'm the oldest of six kids and my mom and dad are Bill and Marilyn Horning. They grew up in Crestline, met and married, you know so, and everybody knows them too, and so I was gone for 30 years when I came back, but kept in contact with people as well, I, you know, I and I think, though, the older generation who knew me, you know. Back then, you know, I put my way through college waitressing at Perkins, and a lot of us worked there. So you know, we were laughing because I taught swimming lessons.
Speaker 2:You know, one of my citizens says I said, hey, you know who, I am right. And he goes yeah, you're the lifeguard swimming coach. I'm like laughing and I'm like, oh okay, you know. But you know, you have so much experience when you grew up in town. And then my, you have so much experience when you grew up in town, my goal is to touch as many lives as possible, and when I was younger, I think that also occurred. I went off to college, I graduated from the University of Notre Dame and my degree is a bachelor's in business administration with a concentration in marketing, which is great because that's where I excel in marketing. And it was interesting because I don't know if a lot of people realize it, but back then I was in the seventh class of women at Notre Dame because it was predominantly all male, really, yeah. And it was interesting because it's like paves, the way I paved the way for the rest of know, rest of the women behind me, I mean in the seventh class, and it's surely not what the first class went through.
Speaker 1:But you know so, from my generation's perspective, that's incredible Like. For me it feels like well, of course, women are in university.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:I mean it'd be stupid if they weren't Right. You know, and actually now I believe I've been hearing that the universities are mainly women, like, the majority of students in university are women, and so that's mind blowing to me.
Speaker 2:But again, I think everything that happens in your life kind of prepares you for later on. So so I mean, I'm the like I said, the oldest of six. I have three brothers right behind me and we were just right. You know, it wasn't, it was like. And then we had neighbors that were brother, were boys, so they're like brothers, so it's like, you know, I'm like a tom boy in a sense. So, like me, interacting with, with guys at campus was, was nothing. But I get there and I'm meeting women who went to all girls' Catholic high schools and then men who went to all boys' Catholic high schools and they didn't know how to interact. And I'm thinking seriously.
Speaker 2:So that was first goal teach these guys that they could have girls as friends. Don't have to be girlfriends.
Speaker 1:Right. Wow, what an amazing piece of history that's so cool. So you know, you've kind of like well, number one, you had to have learned to hold your own back in the day being with all those guys. But then you also seemed to kind of be comfortable in that role of pathfinder or pioneer in a sense where it's like okay, guys, this is a new world and I'm fine with it. Let me help you figure this out.
Speaker 2:Right, right, Exactly, and it's great because I have a lot of I mean, and again, you know, because I love people and I remember a lot of things. I mean I knew a lot of people on campus and we'd go back for five year reunions and I pretty much know almost everybody at the reunion and all my girlfriends are like, hey, who's this, who's this, and but but I, you know, I mean it is a blessing, it is it, you know, it's a God given talent, because I told you guys that she was in a stellar networker and I really meant that.
Speaker 2:She knows a lot of people and, and you know I can't, and I think everybody else knows somebody. So I'm like, hey, you know this person? No, really, you know. So then I try to make sure that I introduce people to each other, because you never know, I mean, if you somebody might need that person and might need that in their help, their product or service, and and so you know, that's one thing. I love getting people and helping them find a connection for something that they need.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm guessing that with your growing up years in Crestline that that had a lot to do with your love for Crestline, your desire to see it succeed. But what?
Speaker 2:prompted you to get into politics as a way to help.
Speaker 1:Do you mean help Crestline? Yeah, help Crestline. I mean there's so many things you could do to what did you say? To help people and touch lives, I mean. So why politics?
Speaker 2:Well, what was interesting was that, you know, and I think everybody, I'm going to tell you, I think people go through this All right, and so we go to school. Here we have the, and when you're only here. Okay, when and now, when I was growing up in Crestline in the seventies and graduated in 78, that you know, we only knew Crossline. We hardly ever went out of town, and so then I'm off to college, I am interacting with people from literally all over the US and even outside of the US, but we were thinking, I mean, I'm like man, wow, this is a great world. I can't wait to get out and experience it. I am not going back to Crossline you know.
Speaker 2:I mean, I think that a lot of people think that and it's one of our challenges in Richland and Crawford counties is that our young people go away to college and then they don't come back and so they're taking all that knowledge and we need them to come home. So now we have to make it enticing for them to come back. So for me, I mean, it was God had a plan, because I never intended to move back home. God said hey, you got to go home. I came home and I was driving back and forth to Tennessee where I moved from, because I had clients in Tennessee and I love Tennessee and I loved what was going, had clients in Tennessee and I loved Tennessee and I loved what was going on down there. Then I would come, but I would miss Ohio. So then I'd come back to Ohio and I'd be in Crestline and I'm like man, I really, really miss Tennessee. It was like a fish out of water. However, I'm like well, if I'm going to stay in Crestline, then I want what we have in Tennessee up in Crestline. That was kind of like the start of okay, I'm going to stay here, and the political thing I got involved in politics down in Tennessee, and that again was you know, I'm in chambers of commerce, I'm in groups, and I met these two powerful women and they invited me to a political meeting.
Speaker 2:Okay, they said oh, you need to join our group. And so you know, we have the. And so these two women, diane Black and and they were both representatives in the house at Tennessee and then Deborah Maggard, so those two women got me started. So I'm in the group and I love to volunteer. I'm volunteering, thinking I'm under the radar, and so I then got to meet other people, like-minded people, and so that's how I got started in the politics. I learned how to make phone calls for campaigns to help those ladies. And then I did door knocking which is great, because I'm not afraid to knock on doors and then we'd have festivals and we would have booths and I'd be manning a booth. We call it manning a booth, but you know passing out literature and whatnot.
Speaker 2:And it was interesting because we got Diane went from state rep to state senator and then I helped knock on doors and campaign for her to and she became a congressman. And and what was great about Diane is that she she was there when president Trump first got elected and he placed her over the Budget, ways and Means Committee and she was the first woman in history to be the chair of that committee.
Speaker 1:Wow, I know it's amazing some ties here, you know from leading as a girl with a bunch of boys.
Speaker 2:Right, right.
Speaker 1:And then college, being like, like I said that pioneer into the idea that women are breaking into these spaces that were predominantly male. And then now you helped and were a part of this movement in. Tennessee to get the first woman into that chair Right Of the Ways and Means Committee.
Speaker 2:I mean that's amazing, yeah, and it's funny because you know, you and I laugh. But it's like when I build a relationship, it's like, hey, we are friends and I'm going to call you by your first name, yeah, and so you know I like that about you so it's like for Diane, it was Diane.
Speaker 2:you know like she would call me from you know D. For Diane, it was Diane. You know like she would call me from you know DC. She called and she had, and she called because she wanted me to run for the chairman of the party for our county. Now in Tennessee it's county driven Up here it's central committee. You're on a ballot, ok, but down there it's not.
Speaker 2:And so I started laughing and I said Are you sure, you know, diane? I? And she said, and I said I thought I was, you know, really flying under the radar. And she said Well, we noticed you. We noticed you. And I said Well, diane, I'm going to upset a lot of people. And she said Well, what do you mean? I said, well, diane, number one, I'm going to do what's right, not what's popular. Yeah, and she said that's exactly why we want you to run.
Speaker 2:And I'm thinking OK. I said OK, and we had three factions, three groups that were kind of fighting each other, secure you know the position. I went to the head of each group and told them what you know I wanted to accomplish with the party and that everybody was welcome and that this is, you know and you know. So they knew who I was and and they not, and they all endorsed me, so I did not have anybody run against me down there. And so, but when it was great? Because because right after getting elected and the first meeting I had to handle a situation.
Speaker 1:You were thrown into the fire. I was.
Speaker 2:I was because that previous president chairman didn't handle it. It's interesting.
Speaker 1:With your story. I'm learning something here that I think I've known for a while, but it's really highlighted with you and I asked you know how you get into politics and and immediately you go to. Well, these women invited me into this world that I wasn't a part of.
Speaker 2:That's right, that's right.
Speaker 1:And to you, like you said, they were my friends, first name basis and you know, I think that with leadership we think it's all going to start when we have a paid position, we have a staff, we have a team or even in a nonprofit, but basically you have people who are hierarchically in the organization under you, right, but it actually starts before that. It starts with relationships. You were willing to be friends with people who were from different backgrounds, maybe even different statuses. I don't know what it was like down in Tennessee, but you know you were courageous enough to form friendships, not knowing where they were going.
Speaker 2:Right, Well, right, Well, it's funny that you should say that, Cause I I um never have an end in mind. I mind I mean, do you know what I mean? I don't have that. I mean, it's like you know, my goal is to build relationships and not really think about what's the end in mind, Do you?
Speaker 1:know what I'm saying? Yeah, does that make sense? Yeah, and that's part of the courage part, because that means you can be vulnerable.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I can be vulnerable. Oh yeah, because you're not trying to spin.
Speaker 1:You know you're not trying to force the relationship to go down a certain track, that's right. But then then doors to leadership started to open for you, because then the person you were in relationship said I see this in you and at that time it sounds like you didn't even see it in yourself um, I don't.
Speaker 2:I mean I wasn't. That wasn't something I was searching for. I guess I wasn't looking for that I wasn't looking for that I really wasn't, but I really wasn't. And again, just being out there volunteering and you're present, I mean you are actually being active and that's the key is just to be out there.
Speaker 1:Leadership starts way before the paid positions and the teams. Absolutely, you have to be out there giving yourself, and so I'm glad that happened for you, because the Lord brought you back to Crestline Area for a reason. And if it wasn't for all of the door-knocking experience, the manning, the booth experience, and if it wasn't for all of the door-knocking experience, the manning, the booth experience and then, of course, the committee experience, you would not have been as prepared for what you were going to run into as mayor of Crestline.
Speaker 2:Right. And actually, you know, I told somebody this a while back. I said every single job that I have had, everything, everything in my life has led me up to being the mayor of Crestline. I can relate. I'm like, oh, even everything in my life has led me up to being the mayor of Crestline. I can relate. I'm like, oh yeah, that happened. You know, I knew how I handled that and it's ironic. It's ironic how much, how well prepared I have been. And you know I don't know everything, and you know. However, what I do know is that I will tell you I don't know everything, you everything, and if I don't know, I'll try to find the answer. And I think that's part of it is just being who you are and you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the best leaders are what's the word? They allow themselves to be who they are Right.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Now you're in your second term of office as mayor of Crestline, so you've already been in this for five, six years-ish, right no, as mayor.
Speaker 2:No, I'm four and a half. I mean, this is I'm in my fifth year.
Speaker 1:Okay, you're in your fifth year, so in that time, what have you and your team been able to accomplish in your administration?
Speaker 2:Well, that's a great question, because when I first came on board, when I first won the election, I met with most of consul and you know one-on-one and just to let them know now, hey, the mayor really doesn't have a lot of power per se. The power is really in council. Okay, okay and however you know, I told them what my goals were. I wanted to grow the town.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And that I wanted to. And then I asked them I go, use my strengths, don't harp on my weaknesses. Use my strengths, which is, you know, I'm a master networker, I know a lot of people all over and I said if we can use that and help grow our town, you know, and the other thing was is that we had is very negative. The people were negative, you know, I mean talking down about our town, you know, and then, but people around Crestline were very negative. That people were negative, you know, I mean talking down about our town, you know, and then, but people around crestline were very negative as well and it's like, oh, crestline, I'm like really, you know, you know, and it's like. So my goal, one of my goals, was to, hey, we got to change this attitude. You know, we have got to change this around where, where we take pride in ourselves, and if we take pride in ourselves, and if we take pride and we make changes, then the people around us will also take pride in us take pride in Crossline.
Speaker 1:They change that reputation.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, but you've got to work at it. I mean, you know and I actually said it starts with me you know I'm leading, so let's go. You know, so I try to present always positive and, you know, put it out there, but it's who I am anyways. So, yeah, I have down days, but for the most part I'm usually always upbeat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and how are the residents and some of the surrounding areas feeling about Crestline right now? I mean, do you think that you've been able to make a dent in that reputation change?
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I think so, and the reason I say that is that because I get a lot of people from out of town that are loving the revitalization of Crestline. They love our town, they love what it looks like, they love the energy, they love coming over, and I mean that's from all over and I mean this is from, like you know, crawford, richland, you know, here in Ashland, you know, all over there people are talking about how cute, how quaint Crestline looks and what we're doing to you know, to revitalize our town.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I just I love some of the efforts that have come. What's the word right behind you? Like, as you decided, it's going to start with me. I'm going to put a positive message out there, I'm going to be happy that I'm here and I'm going to tell everybody I'm happy that I'm here. And then I see, like all these you know, there's like a Crestline development team.
Speaker 2:Crestline community development team yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean they're putting out positive messages. They have cleaned up so much of that main street area. That Seltzer street area is beautiful. I mean the flower arrangements, the archway over the street. I mean this, this definitely isn't just you.
Speaker 2:Oh no.
Speaker 1:Like you have led a charge of people who are like we're right behind you. We're going to make Crescent a great place to live.
Speaker 2:Well, you know it's actually. It's kind of funny. You should mention that, because so really it's business owners OK.
Speaker 1:Oh cool.
Speaker 2:Right, it's not so, and it's just like this If you have an idea, I'll run with your idea. If it's a good idea, I'll run with it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And so the ideas and I'm laughing as I say this because and I guess the other thing it's like hey, people, you know cross-line people, hey, you know I'm running, you know, come with ideas, we can run with them, but don't belittle somebody else who has the ideas and the money that's supporting the ideas. Right, because you know I'm seeing this and it's funny because you know people know, I just say what I think and if you are saying something you know I'm going to, I'll correct you and say no, no, that's not what's going on. But really, these ideas, that the revitalization, actually it started with several groups of people. So Joe and Gretchen Dugan led the charge. A lot People don't know that, or they always want to hide behind the scenes and it's like too late, and then it's, and then and I don't even know if, if, uh, if they realize that most of the stuff that we have downtown really were the ideas, their ideas.
Speaker 2:And then you got clayton, harold and the crestline community development team, all right, and so, um, we started with that Crestline comeback back right at the beginning of 2020, before COVID hit and the HM, I got an HGTV. I hope I got those initials right and they were doing. They were looking for a small town to revitalize. I don't know if you remember this or not. This was back in 2020.
Speaker 1:I didn't know you got to work with HGTV.
Speaker 2:We didn't. We didn't 2020. I didn't know you got to work with HGTV, we didn't. But the goal was, as every town in America was vying, was really vying to get to be chosen by HGTV to come in and revitalize your downtown.
Speaker 2:That was the goal, and so we had over 200 people at Crestline High School auditorium, you know, and we did a lot of presentations. You know, a lot of groups did presentations. That was our first Crestline night and about what we? You know, we filmed it, we sent it to HGTV, okay, and so it was interesting because, it's like you know, of course, we did not get chosen. However, I said, hey, who cares, if we don't get chosen, we'll have our own HGTV, we'll do it ourselves, right, which is like, and I think, another thing that people, it's like when you speak it into existence my friend, stephanie Rosanick says that all the time. Speak it into existence, linda. So we're speaking it into.
Speaker 1:We did we did Brave enough to get it out. We did Right, share the vision Right. And it's pretty interesting, like, because you're showing us that leadership isn't just about project management. It's not. It's not in an essence, about project management, right, that's a whole different thing. Leadership is a lot about project management, right, that's a whole different thing. Leadership is a lot about emotion management, framing the picture of what we're doing and why, and what isn't included in that picture. Negative talk and the bitterness against people who had the money, right, you know, no, we're going to do it this way, right, and we're going to make sure that we work this out together and we're going to go towards success together, and this is what it's going to look like. That's, that's really leadership. You're managing those emotions, you're managing those expectations and, man, that's so, so good, managing those expectations. And I mean that's so, so good. What have been maybe one or two of the bigger challenges that you have faced personally as a leader?
Speaker 2:Okay. So you know, because you know we have challenges all the time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's gonna be tough picking one, isn't it?
Speaker 2:And I think that initially it was well, actually, really, because you know, I'm thinking, hey, I know all these people, right, I grew up with these people, whether it be a citizen, it'd be consul. So I would think, well, they know who I am. Yes, but you have to build trust. And that was the first challenge Building trust, yes, that, that that was the challenge, was the first challenge. Just trying with yes, yeah, really, Because you're thinking I'm thinking, oh, why, they know, they know that I would never do this, they know that I'm this type of a person. And then you realize, oh, okay, I've been gone for 30 years, maybe it's. You know, I have to like start over and start building a trust again. Does that make sense?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it does, because I mean they knew you as one person, but you were no longer that person when you came back.
Speaker 2:Right, right, and you weren't mayor either. Right?
Speaker 1:right. That's a whole other thing. Are you capable? What motivations do you have? Where are you taking us? Can we trust you?
Speaker 2:Right, and I think too, it's like people are like, well, what are your aspirations? What do you want to do? Like, hey, are you going to run for another position? I'm like, actually I don't have that, that's not even in my brain. To, hey, let's run for a higher position. It's not, you know, let's, we've. We got a lot going on here in Crestline and you know. And let's get it done, let's. That's what that's it. So that was the big challenge.
Speaker 2:The other thing I have to laugh is that um is understanding government itself, right, because, and people tell you now, I am a big picture person, I see the big picture. I'm not really detail oriented. That's where you know my village administrator, corey Spocky, he's, he's that detailed person. I'm not, I'm, I'm big picture. But it's interesting.
Speaker 2:It's like, well, why can't I do this? You know, and and I'll hear, well, because you know you have to do this and this and this and it, sometimes it's the, it's just the red tape, it's the the, you know it takes too long, whereas in private, in the private sector, you know, you can just make decisions quickly, you know, but you, you can't do that in government. And and it's interesting because, um, you know, it's like and we have a budget, and people are. So it's interesting, because you know it's like, and we have a budget. So it's like, well, can the village pay for this, can the village pay for that? And I'm like I don't know. You know, because you know we start our budget at the beginning of the year. However, what we're doing better is planning what we want to accomplish so we can budget for it. So that's a big difference.
Speaker 1:It's where that big vision meets the detail-oriented management side, where you can actually project how much things would cost, and timeframes and all that. Okay. So my question on this is okay, of course, I always like to know, like how did you overcome that challenge? But with these two in particular, like I had to build trust Right, it shocked me that I didn't have the trust I thought I had.
Speaker 2:Right, right, right.
Speaker 1:But then the other one is that I really picked up on was I had to learn government because I really wanted to push forward, but I just felt like there was always something like the red tape holding me back Right right, right.
Speaker 1:So, number one, do you have any specific thing you did that helped you overcome that that might help somebody that's dealing with the same thing? And then, what about the emotional piece, like how did you deal with the frustration of both of those, like the time that it took and the fact that it was even there when you probably thought it shouldn't be there?
Speaker 2:Right, right, I shouldn't be dealing with this right, Right.
Speaker 1:What do you think?
Speaker 2:Well, I'll tell you what it doesn't stop. I just want you to know.
Speaker 2:Okay, no it doesn't stop. You know, because you, you know, you think you, you know, and for whatever reason, you know, you don't. We're all human, you know, we all make mistakes, we all have our own quirks. So sometimes that you know, you don't know why they act the way they do and they don't. You know, you're trying to understand and until you really have a sit down conversation, you're not going to know. So I guess the thing is just try to have good communication. You know good, you know, meet with them and not in a group.
Speaker 2:I'm like you know if you can do one onon-ones and you know, outside of the office, you know where you can be relaxed a little bit. But again, I'm, I am going to say what I think and I, you know, and I don't care. It's not that I don't care, I don't want to. I don't care if people are like well, aren't you worried about what they'll say about you, yes or no? You know, I can't worry about what you're going to say because I don't do anything to be harmful. You know, in my mindset it's like look, I'm doing, this is who I am. I don't mean to, you know offend you hurt you whatever.
Speaker 2:That's not my intention.
Speaker 1:My intention. That's a powerful word.
Speaker 2:I don't want to stop you mid flow.
Speaker 1:But that is something I'm trying to learn right now is that when I am worried about what other people are thinking about right, I don't take into account enough that I have good intentions. Right, right, right. I just beat myself up, sometimes without thinking about it, and it takes someone else sometimes a friend or my wife to say but that's not what you meant to do, right, right, that's how they took it, right and you're human, so it's like man. The intention means a lot.
Speaker 2:I think I'm trying to remember the saying that one of our, one of my mentors said. He said that what you or what you know, if you're talking to somebody, what you think about me or say about me, is none of my business.
Speaker 1:I love it. That's actually really good. Yeah, man, I've got to internalize that I know it. What they say about me or think about me is none of my business.
Speaker 2:Right None of my business, wow.
Speaker 2:And I'll tell you what. It's interesting too, because you've got to live to your standards. You've just got to hope that you're doing the right thing. If you keep it in perspective, if you are doing the right thing, you don't have any hidden agendas or you're not out to harm people, it's what do the right. If you know and deepen your heart that it's the right thing and honorable thing, then you're good. And, let's face it, you and I are talking ahead. It's between you and God. So that's my thing. It's like okay, I only have to answer to him. We all have to answer, so you better be hoping that you're doing the right thing.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, well, and that idea pulls you above the weeds of the situations and the conflicts, that, hey, ultimately I'm not answering to these people, I have to answer to God for my intentions.
Speaker 2:Right right.
Speaker 1:And for my agendas, right, right and all of that man. So faith plays a huge part.
Speaker 2:Oh, it does, oh, it absolutely it does For me. It does you know and I, and it's it's interesting because, like you know and I, and it's it's interesting because, like you know, in some of the stressful council meetings we have, you know, I have, I write on my notepad Jesus, help me, jesus, help me, jesus, please help me. You know I'm writing it there, you know, just you know I'm taking that.
Speaker 1:I mean I'm doing that in a meeting or two, you know, maybe in a coaching session I'll be like Jesus, help me, not in a meeting or two you know, maybe in a coaching session I'll be like Jesus, help me.
Speaker 2:And it's just like I don't know if my clerk, if she saw it, but it was just one night. I'm just like, please, jesus, please help me, help me, you know, just to get through it, just to get through it, you know and as well. But it's like I said, there's things you in the government sector, it's just it's it's a complex animal right, it is yeah absolutely, you know.
Speaker 1:with that said, you know, as we start to wrap this session up, if, if you ran into a younger person? A younger person, okay who was thinking about getting into leadership roles, supervisory, or maybe even into politics, maybe into government. You know, what would you say to them? What nuggets would you give them?
Speaker 2:And it's interesting because I would tell them they have to. You know you have to get active. You cannot just sit on the sidelines. You can't. You know you have to. You know participate. You have to participate in your community, you have to participate in your church. You know you need to be active. And you know volunteer. You know that's where you get a lot of working and dealing with different types of people is when you volunteer and you're in committees. Ok and so, and if you want to get in to Like into politics stuff, but but even for myself, like I read, I do read like self-development books, you know, and you know you can and those are great and you know you can listen to. You know your MP3 player or whatever, but Jim Rohn is one of my favorites, so like Jim Rohn.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay so how do you spell his last name? R-o-h-n. R-o-h-n.
Speaker 2:Okay so he's one of my favorites. I just love his voice, and so when I'm driving like long distances, like you know, I can listen to him. You know I have one of his courses, or you know, and then I have others too. You know I have others that I'll listen to, and it's great because other than my K-love.
Speaker 2:Christian radio station and because I got to tell you I am a firm believer that you have to put positive in your, you have to listen to positive in your. You got to read positive stuff and people are like, hey, did you hear what's going on? I said actually, no, I don't watch the news. I'm sorry, I don't you know it's all negative.
Speaker 2:Don't subscribe to social media pages or anything, because it's better not to know it all Right, well, and it's like it's all negative, I mean, and I hate to say that, but that's what they, they, um, they portray, you know, and and so why? And it's true, if you, if you put negative in, you're going to get negative out. If you put positive in, you'll positive just has to come out. So, so it's like, hey, fill your mind with self-development books, fill your mind with positive music, and so. And then, if you're going to get into the politics, well, hello, how about attending some council meetings? Because I can assure you there's hardly anybody there.
Speaker 2:You know, and then so you got council meetings. You have committee meetings that we have within the council, you have school board meetings. You know people and it's and that's, I guess, one of my things it's like it don't complain, you know don't complain, and you know, be a solution. Not the problem, be a solution, yeah.
Speaker 1:So the problem Be a solution. Yeah, so you know, be active. Be active Pull yourself up with the development tools, the positive music, get involved with these positions that are begging people to show up and get to know what's going on, right? Um, and I was just thinking, you know, um, why don't, why don't you tell us, like, why should somebody live in Crestline? Because you've seen so much good change, so much good positive change there, and you said you wanted it to grow.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:So you know, why don't we end the day with just you letting us know, like, why, crestline, what's there that we could get, and we should bring our families there and live there?
Speaker 2:Well, I'll tell you what we have low crime. We do have a low crime rate and you're going to see, I think we'll see growth coming because people are getting out of the cities. You know they want they want more quiet.
Speaker 2:They want more, less stress and you know our town provides. We have really great parks. You know that. You have, I mean it's, it's the traffic is not bad compared because there's a lot of stress driving in Cleveland and Columbus, and I think that is I mean you have, you know, some nice restaurants that you can go to and you can also, and you know we have really cool community events. I mean we have the summer concert series going on where for 12 weeks, every Thursday night, you can come down and-.
Speaker 1:Is it every second Thursday?
Speaker 2:No, ours is every week at the concert.
Speaker 1:Every week.
Speaker 2:Really the concert series.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's cool.
Speaker 2:But our second Thursday is in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce.
Speaker 1:Okay, and so that's at the gazebo on Seltzer Street.
Speaker 2:No, it's not Okay.
Speaker 1:Where is this happening? You've got to tell me. If I don't know, they don't know. Okay, where are these concerts happening?
Speaker 2:So the majority of the concerts are we actually we close off the street. Okay, just right by the underpass, okay, right across from Joey's and Misurito, and we have, and because you it and we have um, and because you know we have adora, which is a designated outdoor recreational area, all right, and and then the bands, you know we shut off, so then the people can bring their chairs they they are in the streets or, you know listening they can jump up and go into joey's, they can go into misera. You know we have checkers and pints down the street. You know we have the wandering lily. You know we have Checkers and Pints down the street. You know we have the Wandering Lily. You know we have, and we have what's really great. You know we have a new bakery in town.
Speaker 1:It's amazing, it's growing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we have a really cool quaint coffee shop called Spots Rolling Bean.
Speaker 1:I love that place.
Speaker 2:We have things that I wanted when I was living in Tennessee, and I think that was the point, and so we have an awesome library. I mean it's great. Our downtown is amazing, and you know what? I mean we have what's called the Alley I don't know if you've been back there, but it's right there by the Best Little Hair House. And then you have Susie's Dog. I call it Susie's Dog Spa. She does a tremendous amount of work from people coming in from all over.
Speaker 1:A lot of business.
Speaker 2:And then you've got these young girls who started this Spots Rolling Bean coffee shop, and also it's other beverages it's like drinks, and I'm laughing because they have these funky little bubbles in it and I don't know what it's called.
Speaker 2:But you know, and now we've got the bakery, which is right down the alley. I mean, this has all been developed. And then you have the arch, you know. So you know, I got to tell you I said a lot of that was brought on by Joe and Gretchen Dugan bringing their vision in. And then, like I said, then you have we have guys that graduated from Crestline that are popping in a lot of money as well. You know, and you grew up with these people, so it's great, and so you got, and you know I know I'm going to upset people because I don't know I'm not mentioning you. Please forgive me.
Speaker 1:It takes a village right it is. I know there's too much good going on. I mentioned it all.
Speaker 2:But we have and I love these. I mean they're like we're all family and I guess that's the point is that people don't realize we are family. We're all family, you know. And so we got my brother, joe Zara. You know, we got Bob Sarah. I mean we've got these people that people just don't realize that are investing, you know. And then my other brother and I call them brothers because I'm really good friends with their sisters. You know you got Reed Obermiller down there, stockin Obermiller. And you know, then my other brother and I call them brothers because I'm really good friends with their sisters.
Speaker 2:You know you got Reed Overmiller down there, stockin Overmiller, and you know you got the burgers. I mean you got everybody in town, you got. You know you had Hawker Hardware and you got the. You know Rod and Blazing, and he's bringing Sam, his son, on. And you know again, interestingly enough, we're all. We are all like family and, as you know, families do have fights too, but we all love each other and, like I said, I know I'm forgetting somebody, I can't, but we're all there. And you've got Ken Parr, who's a stable of ours, and then you've got the churches that are playing a big factor. I mean you got the Methodist Church who hosts our farmer's market, you know, every Tuesday three to six.
Speaker 1:That's a big deal it is.
Speaker 2:It is and you know, and it's great because and then because you know, I don't look at it as what religion you are, which is interesting because you know I'm Catholic, but you know, and you've got Trinity, lutheran I mean, even the churches are getting involved and that's a cool thing. And you've got Rabbi Bob Bauer, you know, and I'm like, hey, they are also contributing to our success. So I think that people need to understand that. We've got the Lions Club, we have the VFW, we have the Eagles. You know, and I'm loving it because, you know, I never went to the Eagles or to the VFW growing up, you know, and so I am a member of each. And it's great when you have your classmate, freddie Kimmel, who is like the president of the Eagles, and then you know, you're looking over at the VFW. I'm in the VFW and I got friends there that are there. And hey, I don't know if you noticed, but our commander is Dave Sowers Jr and his lovely wife, jeanette. But I hope I get this right. But our VFW got a oh crap, I wrote about it. They got this high honor. Okay, they're like a national chapter or state chapter. It's very rare. You have to do a lot of things in order to get this honor. That's so neat and they got the honor. They got the honor.
Speaker 2:And so Crestline is being I mean, we're getting recognized for a lot of positive things. You know, we have the banks in town that are participating. I don't know if you realize, but Avita is like our largest employer I didn't know if you knew that or not and they are always, always supporting our efforts as well. And what's really great is when I was looking at the management team and I talked to Kim Winkle before I came here, she's our hometown girl. I mean, she was born and raised there, you know, and we're laughing. And then you got the Hoker brothers and I'm like laughing. I'm looking at the. I'm thinking holy smokes. You know, there's a lot of Crestline people there, you know, or people that married Crestline girls, you know, and I love it. I love it. I mean so it's great because they have, they support us so much through our community. So I mean it's a group effort, it's not just the mayor just so you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely yeah. You know, I used to live in Crestline. I was there for about nine years raising my little family, and so I can attest all that's great, I mean, that's so true. It's a good place to raise a family. It's quiet, it's a place where people can know you and you can grow and raise a family there very well. And I just want to point out, since I've been working with you and your team, you also have wonderful directors.
Speaker 1:Department heads yeah department heads who really care about their job, about the streets, about the water, about the fire department is doing great. The police department they really care about doing their jobs well. And then Corey, he's working hard over there as administrator. I mean all of the people that I've been working with. I've just been so happy to be there and blessed to be a part of that that I've been working with. I've just been so happy to be there and blessed to be a part of that. So I just want to say thank you, mayor Linda, for taking the lead over there in Crestline. We definitely need leaders like you in more places, and so I just want to say thank you very much.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you, and I got to tell you, josh, you know, with us doing, you know, having you come in and do our leadership training with our department heads, and then also including Corey and I, has made a huge difference. I mean, we are a more cohesive team and so that's important. So we have, because that's important on how you, how you grow your town, you know, and and it's great because they're getting to know each other on a on a, on a different level I don't know how to say that, you know the trust is growing.
Speaker 1:It's raising.
Speaker 2:I think so too, and I know that is that they feel comfortable. And we weren't, you know, we weren't sure, right, we weren't sure, you know, are they going to share? Are they not going to share Every?
Speaker 1:team's that way.
Speaker 2:I have no problem sharing, but it has been pleasantly surprising that our department heads and the village ministry they actually are sharing. They are being real, and that's what we need. We need you to be real so that we can move forward.
Speaker 1:Well, you're leading the charge and I appreciate that, and if you all got a lot out of this, please leave a rating. Give us some five stars. Subscribe to the podcast. I'm bringing you the content about once a month right now, and I'm so glad to be able to bring some special guests along with me to help me out, and so I'll see you guys next time on Leading you, and just remember you can lead yourself to a better you.