Warren mayor’s vision continues for 2025

WARREN — From the listening tour in 2024 to her new civic engagement series in 2025, Warren Mayor Lori Stone discussed what she has in store for residents, City Hall and her administration in the new year.

 

Residents
During the listening tour of 2024, the mayor went to each of Warren’s five districts and focused on a specific topic. She was joined by Warren City Council members, along with city appointees, department heads and experts, all of whom listened to residents’ concerns without making comments or answering questions.

According to the mayor, the civic engagement series will allow residents to have a first-hand look into what city departments do. In this series, department heads will answer questions and residents can see where their tax dollars are going.

The first topic of the series will focus on the mayor’s office. According to Stone, she has taken a different approach than her predecessor and has reorganized the office. Among the positions that were reorganized or newly implemented were the roles of two community outreach directors and a chief of staff position.

These changes in the city’s organizational chart are a direct reflection of the mayor.

“It speaks to my philosophy on leadership,” Stone said, “In the previous administration the roles were very hierarchical. It was important for me to make it more collaborative.”

The mayor said she wanted to lean into her experience in the state Legislature as well as her experience in education. The mayor spent three terms, about six years, as a state representative and more than 14 years as a teacher in the Fitzgerald Public Schools district in Warren.

“When you are in public service it’s not about who comes to you. It’s also connecting with residents where they’re at,” Stone said.

In the mayor’s office, Stone implemented multiple points of contact for constituent services. According to Stone, this meant making sure there is enough staff members to meet the number of phone calls, emails and people stopping by the office.

“The initial contact is often the quickest part but the casework to help resolve the problem can often take more work,” Stone said.

The series will include engagement with various city departments including the Fire Department, Water Department, the Department of Public Works and the staff at the Waste Water Treatment Plant.

“Not too many people stop by the wastewater plant,” Stone said.

However, according to her, it is an integral part of the city’s infrastructure.

The engagement series will kick off from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30 at the Burnette Branch of the Warren Public Library, located at 23345 Van Dyke Ave., in the mayor’s office at that location.

 

City Hall
Earlier this month, Stone had furniture delivered to the lobby of City Hall. According to the mayor, there has not been furniture in the atrium since the early days of the building.

“When I walk through City Hall, I see families out there enjoying a snack. When I see students working and studying, when I see people gathering for a meeting, it brings me such joy to see,” Stone said.

The furniture selected is a mixture of benches, tables and chairs. Some of the tables have charging ports for today’s technology.

“I was watching some people sitting on the floor of the lobby plugging into an outlet to recharge their phones,” Stone said. “It just seemed antiquated not to have furniture that was designed to provide these essential conveniences for people in transit or working, so they can continue to work while they are out and about in the community.”

 

Administration
For many, a new year brings a new vision.

“My vision has not changed,” Stone said.

She said that vision still centers around the pillars she focused on during the listening tour, which are economic development, public safety, infrastructure, parks and recreation, and environment sustainability. Stone addressed each pillar.

With respect to economic development, she said the plan is to continue to invest and create an environment that is attractive to businesses and encourages them to come to Warren.

As it pertains to public safety, new Warren Police Commissioner Eric Hawkins started work in December 2024. This is one of the mayor’s first major appointments since taking office in November 2023.  The mayor and Hawkins will partner to incorporate his vision of community policing with direct outreach to residents, the mayor said.

To date, there have been no appointments made for the city attorney, director of Human Resources or the fire commissioner.

With regard to infrastructure, residents want good roads, good sewer systems and clean water for their community, Stone said. Upgrades and maintenance will continue in these areas.

Warren’s parks and recreation centers will also continue to receive upgrades and maintenance.

Stone said the pillar of environmental sustainability will be strengthened by grant funding for tree planting and other environmental initiatives.

“We just received a $190,000 grant in continuing this (tree planting) and includes a baseline study of the tree population which is an essential piece for pursuing additional environmental funding, as well as additional trees to plant,” Stone said.

 

Goals for 2025
“Oh, my checklist is much longer,” Stone said when asked about three things she wants to accomplish this year as mayor.

Among the goals on her list were to continue to serve constituents, continue to engage them in government, and continue to foster a culture of working together and collaboration.