BARNESVILLE — Barnesville Mayor Jake Hershberger stays active in the community by listening to residents’ needs, joining initiatives and helping the village’s developments prosper.

Hershberger has been in the role for a year now. He is the CEO at Joe’s Tires and said he’s been a business owner for multiple years and loves the community.

“I’ve wanted to see how I can serve the community in a different capacity, or additional capacity,” he said. “And when the opportunity came up to run for mayor, I decided to do that, and wanted to do what I can to help serve Barnesville.”

This is Hershberger’s first position in the political realm, but he said he has leadership experience from working on a farm when he was a young child and working up to a management role within it. He then started running his own business in the automotive repair industry.

As mayor, Hershberger helps oversee five municipal departments, whose administrators report to him, and helps oversee the safety of the community and brings vision into Barnesville.

“This is my first time in the role,” Hershberger said. “Seems like bringing a business perspective to the role is different for Barnesville. The vision plan and safe route to school are new for Barnesville,” he said.

One of the key focus points for Barnesville is infrastructure and how to update it, expand it and be able to continue serving more communities and make additional businesses to continue flourishing in the area, he said.

“We’ve got a very vibrant downtown, active downtown, but yet, there’s empty buildings that we want to try to figure out how to get potential businesses in there and bring life into all of downtown, not just most of it,” Hershberger said.

He said the biggest impact his role has on the community is bringing a vision to life in Barnesville and understanding what the future holds for the village.

“It is understanding what the needs are going to be in the future, and making sure that our village and citizens are best prepared for that,” he said. “I think it’s a key part.”

He added the role of mayor is as large or as restricted as someone wants it to be. There are duties required from the Ohio Revised Code, but the role has potential to be an 80-hour work week, putting in a lot of energy.

“I think I’ve expanded it, and I want to continue expanding and reaching as much as I can,” Hershberger said.

He said his role is a position of honor, but it’s not always a fun role.

“You face a lot of challenges, and you do face a lot of complaints and things like that,” he said, “which could vary from code enforcement, somebody didn’t like that. The village handles something a certain way. And it may not have even been something I was involved in. But if there’s something that a village citizen isn’t happy with, their community isn’t happy with, it seems like the mayor role finds that out.”

Hershberger said he’s not only committed to serving Barnesville as mayor but personally, too.

He believes his business background brings a valuable perspective to government leadership, and he prioritizes transparency and accessibility to both the community and the village team.

He said he stays connected with residents by being involved in initiatives, such as the Barnesville State Theater project, Barnesville Depot, Barnesville Chamber of Commerce and various civic and nonprofit organizations.

He invites everyone to come to council with concerns or to stay informed about local developments, as he describes seeing community members at village council meetings as “encouraging.”

He added Barnesville is currently undertaking several long-term infrastructure projects and recognizes the importance of developing a plan for future generations. He noted a strong focus on economic development will be vital for Barnesville’s community’s growth and sustainability.

“I believe there is great potential for my role as mayor to stay actively involved in the community,” Hershberger said. “By building strong partnerships, being open to learning, and encouraging pride in our community, I can adapt to the changing needs of Barnesville and make a positive difference that lasts.”