By Jason Conerly
The first words that come to mind for Leah McGrath this month include, “It’s hard to believe it’s been one year already actually. It’s gone fast.”
McGrath’s first year as Fishers’ deputy mayor comes to an end this month. The Pendleton native first found her heart for public service at Purdue University, where she began by studying engineering before an internship spurred a switch to communications and political science.
McGrath spent four years working with the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns before a unique opportunity presented itself.
“I had regular communication with (Mayor Scott Fadness) about some of the current public policies we were working on that affected cities and towns,” McGrath said. “He texted me one day and said, ‘Hey, could we get together for a cup of coffee next week?’ I said sure … and I fully expected we would be talking about the legislation we’d been working on. Instead, he had another idea — and that was to come work here as his deputy mayor.”
Upon taking on the new role, McGrath immediately began tackling some large projects.
“I would say if there is a theme of my first year in terms of the projects I have been working on or a part of, it’s really about proactive planning, being thoughtful about the place we are creating and sustaining,” she said. “The cornerstone project would be Fishers 2040. It’s the first time we as a community and the leadership here has put together a long-range comprehensive plan.”
Working through challenges with an open mind, McGrath has been able to see the fruits of her labor as she’s tried new things and taken on new challenges.
“You just don’t know what you don’t know, so I’ve tried to take that attitude with me so I can learn and serve better. It’s been a lightning-speed pace. It’s been a lot of fun, but it’s come with a lot of challenges,” she said. “To be able to accomplish (Fishers 2040) in my first year is incredibly rewarding, and I lucked out because I didn’t come into this alone … The City of Fishers has some of the absolute best professionals and a team that is hard working, that is dedicated and very collaborative to getting things done for our community. So, I was lucky.”
In Our Backyard
Deputy Mayor Leah McGrath speaks about her passion for Fishers’ offerings:
“The areas that I would love to see our residents explore when it comes to our parks are some of these gems that just take you into nature and allow you to explore, whether it’s Heritage Park, Ritchey Woods, Cheeney Creek or Flat Fork Creek Park, we’ve got them all over our community. I feel really fortunate to have access to that, but everybody has access to that. That is something I’m passionate about and I want more people to feel encouraged to go out and explore.
“It’s the same thing here in the Nickel Plate District. I think people are still discovering it and it’s changed so much so quickly that there are so many things here people don’t know about yet,” she added.
