The citizens of Richfield elected a long-time council member who hopes to provide a safe environment for residents in her term.

Bobbie Beshara is the new mayor of the Village of Richfield. Beshara attended Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) and Kent State University where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in elementary education. Prior to being elected as mayor, she worked for the Ohio Youth Soccer Association North (OYSAN). This was Beshara’s second time running for mayor.

"I ran for council 15 years ago, and I ran for mayor one time before," Beshara said.

Beshara made the decision to run for mayor because she felt she had enough experience on council to do the job well. She says that her experiences as a council member there have helped prepare her for a leadership position.

"It is something I have wanted and that I thought I would be good at. I wanted to go to the next level to work hard for this community," Beshara said.

Beshara’s daughter, Lexi Beshara, was very supportive of her mother’s campaign. Lexi had some worries about her mother running, mainly the possibility of defeat. Despite these worries, Lexi was aware of her mother’s dedication to becoming mayor and was happy to help.

"I know she has wanted this for years, so I loved seeing her and helping her pursue her dream," Lexi said.

Running a campaign was a time consuming process, and Lexi was supportive by assisting in many tasks. She explained what she did to help her mother’s campaign.

"I put up signs, wore shirts [and] campaigned door-to-door with her. I helped her edit ads and other literature she made. [Also], I spoke on her behalf when someone asked me a question about her," Lexi said.

Dan Holahan was a strong supporter and a key participant in Beshara’s campaign. Holahan put up the majority of the campaign signs through rough weather and also edited letters that went out to the public. The election ended as a run-off, so the campaign continued for an additional month. A run-off occurs when a candidate does not receive the majority of the votes, so another election must be held. Beshara ran against four other candidates, which divided up the votes and made it more difficult to attain the majority. The following month, Beshara and the candidate with the second highest number of votes ran again. Holahan noted the emotions he felt after the run-off election.

"I felt bad because she worked hard and because we had to do it again, but we were very optimistic and it paid off," Holahan said.

Beshara hopes to maintain the accomplishments of past mayors and council members.

"I hope to always make sure the Village of Richfield is a safe environment where people want to live and work," Beshara said.

In particular Beshara said that she hopes to fill the now vacant buildings in order to spur economic development. In addition Beshara noted that residents are particularly interested in a recreational center for the youth.

The campaign consisted of many people who fully supported Beshara, and, as a team, they helped build her campaign by thinking of slogans, fundraising and many other tasks. Holahan acknowledged that the campaign process was very enjoyable, and he strongly believes that Beshara will make a great mayor.

"[Beshara] has a strong sense of responsibility for the community, and she wants what is right for everybody," Holahan said.

A lot of hard work went into the campaign, and so Beshara’s supporters spent a lot of time together in meetings and fundraisers. Many memories were made during this time, but one stands out above the rest.

"Driving everyone down to the Board of Elections for the final count and finally seeing Bobbie win [was the best memory]," Holahan said.

Being mayor is a big responsibility, one that will take up a lot of time. Beshara is confident in her ability to balance her new job with her family life.

"Lexi is flexible and understanding. I have been a council member since before she was born, and she knows how committed I am," Beshara said.

Beshara was sworn in Tuesday, January 3, 2012.