Newton Falls – The votes have been cast, counted, verified and validated, and it is official: Newton Falls has a new mayor. Last Wednesday Mr. Lyle Waddell was sworn in by the Hon. Philip Vigorito with a standing-room-only courtroom of witnesses.
Earlier in the month, city residents voted in favor of recalling then-current mayor, Patrick Layshock, following months of contention between officials at various city meetings. Poll-goers selected Mr. Waddell from three candidates up for consideration to take over Mr. Layshock’s duties should the recall be successful.
Surrounded by family, friends, and local supporters, Mr. Waddell took the oath of office before shaking hands with and inviting those in attendance to his home for a reception. City Manager Jack Haney had the honor of opening the proceedings and introducing Mr. Waddell and Judge Vigorito by mentioning that “We are all here tonight as witnesses of democracy at work.”
The new Mayor Waddell intends to bring professionalism and productivity back to the city meetings and he hopes to put a stop to the infighting and bickering that have been prominent in previous forums. With several ideas he hopes to put into place in the very near future for the benefit of Newton Falls, residents can look forward to a forecast including an optimistic outlook and potential for positivity in the quickly- approaching New Year. “We need to reach our hand out and support each other,” Mr. Waddell stated. He also plans to bring in new industry and business to the town while looking at improving the tax base, aiming most importantly to stop wasting money. Mr. Waddell will share his thoughts for the town’s growth at the next regularly scheduled council meeting on December 6th. Members of the public are invited to attend.
