Mayor Christina Muryn has always been a natural leader, so it made sense for her to take those skills and bring them to the city she loves: Findlay.
“I really recognize that I am passionate about this community and I want it to be a great place that I can continue to be proud of,” Mayor Muryn said.
From director to mayor
Mayor Muryn grew up in Findlay, going to Findlay City Schools and the University of Findlay for her degree in economics and marketing, with a minor in finance.
Post-graduation, Mayor Muryn served as the Director of Business and Physician Development for the Pain Management Group for five years.
She worked in marketing to communicate with doctors, patients and hospital partners, as well as negotiating contracts and managing the physician development team.
Mayor Muryn said a lot of what she learned from this role has helped her as mayor.
“Some of it was very beneficial during COVID-19, especially because I understood how the healthcare system worked, I had relationships within healthcare, obviously contract management and communication across multiple stakeholders was something that I had to deal with a lot there,” Mayor Muryn said. That was really helpful coming into communicating as mayor because it’s really difficult to communicate with all the different levels that I engage with.”
Mayor Muryn was the youngest person to hold a director or higher level – something that would soon follow into her current career.
Turning passion into a career
Mayor Muryn was always involved in politics, even from a young age. She was in student council, National Honors Society and We the People, the debate group at her highschool. She continued this involvement into college and served as the President of the Student Government Association her junior and senior years.
Mayor Muryn said she always naturally gravitated towards politics, government and business, showing through her passion inside and outside of education.
“I was originally drawn to it (politics) because I like understanding how government decisions impact business and how business can help influence politics,” she said. “From a kind of operational standpoint, I really enjoy good process, policy, being able to recognize working through a problem and finding a solution, implementing it and seeing the outcomes.”
Mayor Muryn was heavily involved with the local Republican party growing up and often helped with campaigns, went door to door, and attended rallies and meetings.
Running for mayor wasn’t something in her cards, but she explains the timing was just right.
“When Lydia Mihalik, our former mayor, took a position at the state level, some local leaders reached out to me and said ‘We need a replacement and we think you would be a great fit, is this something you would be interested in?’” she said. “I felt like it was a good fit, so I decided to seek the appointment for mayor and then run for the election.”
Mayor Muryn started her term in 2020, but it wasn’t an easy journey in the beginning.
She explains she was 26-years-old when she announced she was running, which may have caused a level of concern and distrust at the start.
“People definitely doubted me because I was young and I have always taken that as I need to prove myself and gain their respect and do the job and know some people are going to have an opinion,” she said.
A look at COVID-19 and the future
Despite any challenges she may have faced, Mayor Muryn said the biggest challenge was the COVID-19 pandemic, hitting just two months after starting in office. However, she says overcoming the pandemic is one of her biggest accomplishments.
“I think that we as a community were overall able to get through that issue, less divisive than other communities, in a better financial position because we managed our expenses well and we managed our team well,” Mayor Muryn said. “We were able to keep our team largely safe. So I’m really proud of that because that takes a lot of work, managing the team, managing communications, supporting our local businesses, making sure we’re bringing in resources that are going to benefit our community. It was very complex and I’m really proud of that.”
There are big plans in place for the city of Findlay, as flood mitigation is her main concern for the future.
“When I look to the future, obviously flood mitigation is a top priority,” Mayor Muryn said. “Being able to break ground on those projects here in the next couple years to really solve it in Findlay and Hancock county is going to change the future of our community. That really is something I’m very excited about and I cannot wait to accomplish knowing citizens are going to benefit financially from it, emotionally from it, that our community is going to be able to put that largely behind us and really move forward to continue to change the landscape of the community.”
Mayor Muryn just got through her primary for her second-term and has high hopes for continuing her mayoral position.
She encourages residents to reach out to her at mayor@findlayohio.gov or to city council to express any thoughts, opinions, feedback and ideas moving forward.
“We really enjoy hearing from everybody on what you want to see our community look like.”
Get to Know Mayor Muryn
What is the last book you read?
I think the most recent book I read was House in the Pines. I enjoy reading for pleasure, that’s my escape. I typically have a professional, leadership book and enjoy reading for a brain break.
What are some places you love to go to in Findlay
I love going to shows at the Performing Arts Center, walking our trails and going out to Riverside Park and going to Japan West in downtown – I love sushi, it’s my guilty pleasure. My husband and I rode our bikes downtown and walked around on a Saturday morning and it was wonderful to see so many people out and enjoying breakfast or going on a walk and saying “Hi” to each other. I really enjoy being in the community and seeing other people enjoy it.
What kind of special hobbies do you have outside of work?
My special hobby is golfing. My husband and I get out and do that – it’s kind of our thing together. We’re able to walk and play a couple holes when we have time so we’re active and able to get outside and have some peace and quiet together as well.
What is your favorite show to watch?
I frequently laugh at the show Parks and Recreation, because sometimes there are some parts where I’m like this is way too real. I have experienced that chaos, it’s a really funny show.
What’s on your playlist right now?
My playlist is very eclectic. I love almost all music. I listen to different music throughout the day depending on my mood. I enjoy The 1975, Taylor Swift, Gordon Lightfoot, Josh Groban. I love John Mayor – he’s probably my favorite artist but I like a little bit of anything.