From Mayor Gary F. Werner
I truly appreciate your visiting our website. We here in Brunswick, Medina County’s largest city, are very proud of what is going on in our community. This website is just one way that we can share our pride with you.
Our residents make Brunswick what it is.
Simply put, it’s the people of Brunswick that make it such a great place. Brunswick Art Works, a local non-profit corporation, is a good example. This relatively new group enriches our community through its sponsorship of various visual and performance art projects, including the wall mural inside City Hall honoring our veterans. The volunteer-driven Green Advisory Group helps maintain our parks and promotes environmentally responsible policies for the City’s growth. Likewise, our Citizens Police Academy has since 2005 been graduating residents from a program designed to train them in policing operations. The graduates then assist our police department in activities ranging from traffic control at community events to support roles in regional drug sting operations.
The spirit of these newer groups also shines in so many other local organizations. Such community stalwarts include our local Eagles, Rotary, VFW, American Legion, Optimists, Chamber of Commerce, Historical Society, churches, and various other volunteer groups. These organizations generously and continuously help us to preserve our traditions, to honor those who serve, to help the needy, and to recognize excellence in our community.
Indeed, few places share Brunswick’s level of citizen engagement in the City’s operations. Through various citizen advisory and oversight committees, our residents work with the City’s administration to monitor the City’s finances and budget priorities. In fact a committee composed of residents recommended the income tax increase necessary to sustain the City’s first-rate fire and police services. And the voters approved that increase even under current economic conditions. Such commitment to our collective welfare shows how it’s Brunswick’s residents who make this City of 37,000 people a place where everyone matters and everyone can be involved.
Community experiences and amenities our residents enjoy.
Brunswick families enjoy a wide range of amenities. Our recently created ice hockey program and an expanding annual regional soccer tournament (now over 220 teams) are only part of the many youth and travel sports opportunities our younger residents enjoy. Brunswick Schools continue to provide our families an education designated “excellent with distinction” by the State Department of Education. The Schools’ accomplished music program produces first-rate musicians whose recognition and many awards speak for themselves. Our High School sports programs enjoy a well-deserved reputation for perennial excellence and achievement. And our vibrant area faith community, across many faith traditions, generously ministers to the needs of our local and regional population.
Our Susan L. Hambley Nature Center, situated near the gorgeous peninsula at Brunswick Lake, provides camping, nature trails, weekly “jam sessions” for local musicians, and various other programs for all ages. The Center is just part of our 335-acre City park system where residents go for our fishing derbies, sidewalk chalk art contests, or just to take in some quiet scenery. Our Recreation Center offers state-of-the-art workout equipment and a host of other swimming, fitness, and educational opportunities. We can’t list everything in just a few paragraphs, but you can see why this popular suburb continues attracting families and development.
Some final thoughts.
Building a community is everybody’s responsibility. Public officials have a unique role to play, but so does every resident. This is true even for those who aren’t members of any local volunteer organizations or who don’t serve on one of the City’s many boards or commissions. We make Brunswick great by even the most basic acts of consideration: things as simple as driving with care in our neighborhoods, properly disposing of grass clippings, maintaining our property, respecting our neighbor’s peace of mind, etc. Government and other institutions have a role in all of this, but we as residents are primarily responsible for maintaining Brunswick’s quality of life.
The good news is that none of this is a secret in our City. Brunswick is a great place because we who live here care about being good citizens and good neighbors. We live together and we depend on each other to maintain the first-class family environment for which Brunswick has received national recognition.
Great things are indeed happening here in Brunswick, and I am proud to be a public servant in such a place. Please check out the other information here at the Mayor’s web page and elsewhere at the City’s website.
If I can be of any help, or if you’d like to get more involved, please let me know. And thank you again for visiting.
Mayor Gary F. Werner
City of Brunswick, Ohio
