Meetings & Events

The 2026 Mayors & Lawmakers Luncheon was held in the Ohio Statehouse Atrium. The focus of this year’s luncheon was on how cities can help power an economic and population resurgence across Ohio. We kicked off the discussion with a short video from Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval highlighting how Ohio cities give our state a unique competitive advantage and the need for a Core Cities Strategy to power a resurgence in Ohio.

Following the video introduction, Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn moderated a discussion with a bipartisan panel of mayors including Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, Mansfield Mayor Jodie Perry, and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb. Each mayor touched on revitalization efforts happening in their communities and how those efforts are impacting their regions.

Over five dozen state lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, joined us for our 7th annual Mayors & Lawmakers Luncheon on May 26, 2026. Lima Mayor, Sharetta Smith introduced House Speaker Matt Huffman to talk about the importance of investing in Ohio’s metropolitan regions where majority of its population live, grow, and work.

Before the luncheon, the mayors met with Director Lydia Mihalik on behalf of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to provide an update on the work of the Department of Development and discuss some of the 2026 priorities for the DeWine Administration.