Glenwood Mayoral Candidate Has A Vision for A Better Village

Toleda Hart has been a resident of the Village of Glenwood for more than 20 years and has served in the community since 2009. Photo provided by 820 Consulting.
Toleda Hart has been a resident of the Village of Glenwood for more than 20 years and has served in the community since 2009. Photo provided by 820 Consulting.

Glenwood Mayoral Candidate Has A Vision for A Better Village

By Tia Carol Jones

Toleda Hart has been a resident of the Village of Glenwood for more than 20 years. In those 24 years, Hart has been actively involved in the community since 2009.

Hart said throughout the years she has lived in Glenwood, the demographics have changed. She wants to run for Mayor to ensure that everyone in the Village can have their voice heard and the residents are aware of the Village’s financial standing.

Hart said her decision to run for Mayor of the Village of Glenwood was because of her years of experience in leadership. She was previously a trustee in Glenwood, as well as a President of the School Board for Brookwood School District 167. She was also appointed as the Treasurer for the Village of Glenwood during two different administrations. 

“Those critical roles helped me to understand the needs of Glenwood and understanding that Glenwood is a community with incredible potential, but it needs bold leadership,” Hart said.

Hart would like to see more collaborative leadership, more fiscal accountability and more economic investment in Glenwood. She added that she would also like to see all the residents in the Village be equally represented. 

Hart said, as Mayor of the Village of Glenwood, she would create an open forum for the residents to voice their concerns, as a way to provide them with more collaborative and inclusive leadership. She believes that having more dialogue between the residents and the leadership would lead to a more unified community. She believes that as Mayor of Glenwood, she could make it a safer place for families, where businesses thrive, and the government works with and for the residents.

Hart’s plan for economic development begin with partnerships that would lead to the investment and spur economic growth within the Village. She would seek experts who understand the importance of economic growth. She is open to working with businesses and schools, as well as local organizations to strengthen the Village. 

She said she would like to create a pro-investment climate, which would bring more businesses into the Village, as well as invest in the already existing local businesses, so they can thrive alongside any new businesses that come into the Village.

Hart said that when it comes to the challenges Glenwood faces, fiscal accountability within the local leadership is something she can adhere to as Mayor. She would reinstate the Village being audited, create transparency for budgets within the Village’s departments, as well as hold information sessions about the Village’s finances.

“My commitment would be to eliminate wasteful spending and ensure transparency by making sure we have quarterly fiscal budgeting so the residents could see where their money is being spent,” she said.

Hart’s vision for the Village of Glenwood is to see businesses increase, more sustainable homeownership and a stronger community. She believes for that to happen, the Village should re-engage in local business investment and the residents, as well as strengthen law enforcement. She said Glenwood is still a great place to live.

“I am running for Mayor, I think that Glenwood’s future is too important to leave to chance, and that this is not just about choosing a Mayor, this is about the residents choosing the future they deserve and want for Glenwood. I want a Glenwood where families feel safe, businesses thrive and leadership is accountable,” she said.

The election for Mayor of Glenwood will take place on April 1, 2025. 


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