Councilman Scott Hazen was appointed to office in September of 2004. He's been a resident of the third ward since 1999, and a Mansfield resident since 1974. In 2005, Mr. Hazen was retained by election to his seat for a four year term in 2005, and Re-Elected in 2009.

Mr. Hazen and his wife Cheryl have two children. The Hazen family is active in their church, Mansfield St. Peters, and in their community in various forms of public service.

Mr. Hazen is a graduate of Mansfield St. Peters High School. He earned an Associate of Arts from Ohio State in 1989, graduated from Ashland University with a Bachelor Degree in English in 1993 and graduated with a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University in 2008. He currently holds the Certified Purchasing Manager and Accredited Purchasing Practitioner designations from the Institute of Supply Management, the Certified Manager designation from the Institute of Certified Professional Managers, and the Graduate Certificate in Servant Leadership from Gonzaga University. Mr. Hazen is also a member of the National Eagle Scout Association.

Scott's service work includes working with the Independent Living Center, an advocacy group for persons with disabilities, where he was the Chairman of the Executive Board for several years. He is the former President of the Richland County Catholic Charities Advisory Board and in 2007 was appointed by Bishop Leonard Blair to the Toledo Diocese Catholic Charities Executive Board, on which he served until 2008. His past volunteer efforts include: coaching youth soccer from 2001 through 2003, judging History Day for St. Peters middle school students from 2002 through 2004, and volunteering periodically for local animal shelters. Scott is a former member of the Richland County Transit Authority Board of Directors and the former Chairman of the Police Review Commission.

From 2004 to 2007, Councilman Hazen was the chairman of the Airport and Utilities committees, he was the vice chairman of the Economic Development, Streets, and Safety committees. He is currently the chairman of the Utility committee, the vice chair of Zoning committee, and a member of the Public Affairs committee.

Mr. Hazen takes a collaborative and holistic approach to his duties on City Council, "the citizens of Mansfield need to know that despite differing opinions and outlooks, their government can work effectively and efficiently. The decisions we make on council will help to shape the Mansfield of tomorrow. It's imperative that we focus on the positives and the pockets of excellence we already have, to move forward with the business of securing Mansfield's future. Too many facets of our daily lives are intertwined with other services and needs in a city. You can't make decisions in a vacuum, you have to work with your constituents, and explore all the issues. But the decision to be involved has to start within every individual. If I wasn't willing to step out and take a role in the city, how could I expect or ask others to do the same?"

Councilman Hazen believes his business background is precisely what the city needs. "In business you are driven to efficiencies, and your decisions are based on your ability to analyze a situation, and make compelling decisions quickly, with long term implications." However, his philosophy is grounded in some very simple ethics, "Every decision we make should work toward the benefit of our city, not penalize our citizens for doing the right things. We need to consider the folks in the most need, the elderly, the unemployed, the single parents, and those less fortunate in spirit, mind, or body. Those people need a voice in what we do. We can grow and succeed as a city while thinking about the best interest of all citizens."

Councilman Hazen is employed at Summa Health Systems in Akron, Ohio, where he works as a Senior Application Analyst in Purchasing and IT. He was employed at Medcentral Health Systems in Mansfield from 2004 to 2008. Mr. Hazen worked in various positions in Supply Chain and Project Management at Sprint, where he was employed from 1992 to 2004. Those roles will help his position on City Council. "We live in an age of streamlined consumerism, of rapid technological growth, and of instant knowledge. That means we have a future of limitless bounds in business and technology. It's only what we can imagine that holds us back. The challenge for Mansfield is grabbing that moment in time, and setting the stage for the future."

Mr. Hazen can be contacted at 419-755-2558 or by e-mail at shazen@ci.mansfield.oh.us