Dublin City Council started the new year by electing Chris Amorose Groomes as mayor and Cathy De Rosa as vice mayor for the upcoming two years. The decision was made during their Jan. 5 organizational meeting. Mayor Amorose Groomes, a seasoned council member since 2015, and De Rosa, who began her first term in 2018, are poised to continue their leadership roles in shaping Dublin's future.
Groomes, who also chairs the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, resumes the mayoral position with a history of service, having been a member of the National League of Cities' Information Technology and Communications Federal Advocacy Committee. De Rosa, a Dublin transplant since 1994, brings to the table her experience as an executive and current consultant in educational and non-profit sectors. According to a release from Dublin, Ohio's official website, the Council members, who are elected every two years from four wards and three at-large seats, select their mayor and vice mayor at the first meeting of January.
Newly elected ward representatives Greg Lam, MD (Ward 3), and Wendy Johnson (Ward 2), along with re-elected members Cathy De Rosa and Amy Kramb (Wards 4 and 1, respectively), were sworn in during the same meeting. These new and returning faces will serve Dublin for four-year terms that conclude on Dec. 31, 2029, while the at-large council seats come up for election again in 2027.
More than just electing its leaders, the Council laid out its agenda with a set of goals for 2026. These objectives include fostering community connection and well-being, pushing forward the Metro Center Revitalization, creating a premier athletic and recreation campus, and catalyzing economic development in the West Innovation District. As part of their commitment to these goals, the Council will engage in everything from the Dublin Wellness Alliance to strategic infrastructure initiatives within the West Innovation District.
Mayor Amorose Groomes took the opportunity to appoint council members to various committees and community organization representations. Vice Mayor De Rosa, for instance, will chair the Administrative Committee and join Member Christina Alutto and Amy Kramb.
