Staff photo / Bob Coupland Mark Zuppo was officially sworn in as the new mayor of Girard on New Year’s Day by Girard Municipal Court Judge Jeff Adler. With Zuppo is his wife, Carol, his children and other family members.

GIRARD — Longtime Girard Board of Education member Mark Zuppo has started his new job as city mayor after being sworn in on New Year’s Day, saying he will focus on transparency and inclusiveness with the public.

Zuppo was sworn in by Girard Municipal Court Judge Jeff Adler, who also swore in returning and new city council members and board of education members.

Zuppo has served in public office since 1992 in a multitude of roles. He was a second ward councilman, part-time recreation director, treasurer, board of education member and now mayor. He has also served as a coach and public address announcer at school sporting events.

“I appreciate the support and look forward to serving the city to the best of my ability,” he said.

Due to his previous experience with the city and on the school board, Zuppo is confident he is in a good position to lead the city forward.

As one of his first acts as mayor, Zuppo named Sal Ponzio as the new safety / service director. Ponzio is retired from the fire department.

Zuppo said he and Ponzio plan to meet with the department heads and meet the staff and employees.

“I will speak with the department heads to see what their needs are and make plans for each department,” he said.

Zuppo said a top priority will be to get the ambulance service up and running again at the fire department. He will also stay in contact with officials at the Regional Chamber of Commerce, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, Western Reserve Port Authority, county commissioners and state representatives.

He said bringing 37 years of experience in serving the community will be useful as serving as mayor.

“I will bring that experience here,” he said, noting he served on city council from 1992 to 2000.

Along with many other ideas, Zuppo wants to focus on the youth of Girard in hope that they will want to return to the area after college.

“I want them to go away to school and come back to Girard,” he said. “My goal is to get them back here.”

As the board of education president, Zuppo said he gained a lot of experience in contract negotiations, while working with youth in providing programs and services.

He said other areas to be addressed are the Upper Girard Lake property, development in the downtown area with beautification and bringing in new stores, such as grocery stores.

“I saw a lot of little towns that were maybe not the wealthiest but, one thing there was a common thread, they all had nice little downtown areas,” he said. “We plan on developing our downtown area.”

As for the Girard Lakes property he will get citizen input on what they may want the property to possibly be used for.

“I plan on running an inclusive administration, we’ll probably have public hearings to get people’s input,” he said. “We will hold public hearings and listen to everybody and determine what we can do with the property.”

Zuppo said he will also focus on transparency and that the public will be included in decisions made, which coincides with the motto he used to run for office, “Your Voice, Your Vision, Our Town.”

Along with seeking grants and other funding for projects, Zuppo said he would like to see the city’s social media site be updated with daily information about the city for the benefit of the residents.

“I want to have everything you want and need to know about Girard on the website.” Zuppo said.

He also was considering an all-call system similar to what the schools use for announcements, so the community can learn about road closing, snow bans or other information through text messages or phone calls.