Mayor Jennifer Lyle of New Concord had many goals in life, but she knew she could make a positive change by becoming mayor.
Throughout her career, Lyle had many different experiences in a number of states, but she moved back to her hometown after she learned her father had become ill. She then met her current husband, Jim Burson, former Men’s Basketball Coach and Professor of Physical Education at Muskingum University.
“…But, for anybody who knows Dr. [Bil] Kerrigan, he’s persuasive and we talked about it and I thought ‘well what the heck, let’s try it and see what happens,” said Jennifer Lyle, Mayor of New Concord.
Lyle had accomplished many things throughout her career, so she said that she had the skills, knowledge, and experience to get the mayor position. She knew how to work with different groups of people and how to make important decisions.
“A very big struggle was deciding to do it. I knew that it would acquire a lot of my time because of what I wanted to accomplish and I needed to know that I was going to be ready to do that,” said Lyle.
Lyle knew what she wanted to accomplish in the Village of New Concord before she became mayor.
She wanted to help make the village look more appealing for the residents and she wanted to have more activities for them and to attract visitors.
“There was a long standing organization called RENEW, which stands for Renew the Environment of New Concord… it was a combination of faculty and non-faculty residents of New Concord who were interested in making sure our downtown didn’t decay. Making sure that things looked nice to try to lift up the charm of the community so it will be attractive. Not just to live here, but to come to school here,” said Lyle.
Lyle has worked with many different groups of people and by joining RENEW she helped the group make important decisions for the village’s future.
As the Mayor of New Concord, Lyle will continue to help the village grow closer together and become more known to outside residents.
Lora Ruehrmund Media Portfolio 