SWEDA SWORN IN

New Lorain County Commissioner Sharon Sweda starts, fills Ted Kalo’s former seat

Sharon Sweda said she is ready to lead from the top shortly after taking her oath of office Feb. 13 as the newest Lorain County commissioner.

Sweda was appointed to the position Feb. 10 after a vote by the Lorain County Democratic Party Central Committee selected her.

She is replacing Ted Kalo, who was appointed in January

as Lorain Municipal Clerk of Court.

After a hearty round of thanks to her supporters who packed the room used for commissioners’ meetings, Sweda said she respects her fellow commissioners, Matt Lundy and Lori Kokoski, and that the trio will work together to improve the county.

“We will be able to work through the good, the indifferences and the challenges...” — Lorain County Commissioner Sharon Sweda

“We will be able to work through the good, the indifferences and the challenges, because I know that we all have that aspiration to bring good, solid government to our positions and it will be fun doing it with (Lundy and Kokoski),” she said.

Lundy said this is the first time since 1985 a commissioner was appointed to the board.

After the swearing-in, the commissioners approved a $15,000 contract with Vita Nuova, an economic and community development consulting firm, to help Avon Lake and Sheffield Lake move forward with plans laid out from the Lakefront Connectivity Plan which was completed last year.

Don Romancak, director of Lorain County Community Development, said the county has continued to make progress on the connectivity plan and this contract will help to bring the Avon Lake and Sheffield Lake sites to market.

“(This will) give us a road map for what things each community would need to do to move their projects forward,” Romancak said.

Also, the commissioners approved a $252,203 contract with the Great Lakes Community Action Partnership, of Fremont, to assist with the county’s Community Housing Impact and Preservation, or CHIP, grant program.

Previously, the county received $979,100 to fund the program from the Ohio Development Services Agency’s CHIP program as well as an additional $85,000 in income from previous years of the program.

The CHIP program seeks to help homeowners whose income is less than 80 percent of the area median income to get their properties up to code.

The program is open to residents of all municipalities in Lorain County except Lorain, Elyria and Vermilion.

In other news, Jen Kennedy, interim director of Visit Lorain County, gave a presentation on the planned Mardi Gras celebration which will take place from March 1-9 and will see businesses bringing a taste of the bayou to their menus and special deals.

The celebration will culminate in a food showcase and zydeco concert March 9 at Lorain County Community College featuring Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience.

More information can be found on visitloraincounty.com/mardigras.

Also, Tom Brown, executive director of the Lorain Port Authority, and Dan Given, safety-service director for the city of Lorain, gave an update on opportunity zones along the Lorain portion of the Black River.

They said there has been interest in the area from developers, but they did not share specifics.

KEITH REYNOLDS — THE MORNING JOURNAL Sharon Sweda takes the oath of office administered by Lorain County Probate Judge James T. Walther on Feb. 13 accompanied by her husband, Richard Sweda, Laura Irvin and Corey Shawver, before her first Lorain County commission meeting.