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Forest Heights Mayor Jacqueline E. Goodall first ran for a council seat in 2007 when she grew angry with town leaders. The year before, they had suspended then-mayor Joyce Beck behind closed doors.

Four years later, Goodall has assumed Forest Heights' leadership amid a familiar backdrop. The Forest Heights Town Council suspended its most recent mayor, Andrea McCutcheon, in a January closed session, with Goodall taking a lead role in the ouster.

But Goodall, a former councilwoman who was elected March 9 and was sworn in to her new leadership role Wednesday night, said she plans to distance herself from personnel controversies. Instead, she wants to change the culture of poor leadership in Forest Heights by opening up communication between residents and town officials.

"There has not been leadership in a while where the person that was sitting in the mayor's seat had a strong grasp of what municipal government was and basically how to run a town," she said.

McCutcheon, who was suspended after the council determined that she committed charter violations — such as not submitting quarterly budget reports on time and administering pay bonuses without receiving council approval — lost the Town Council's support when she failed to communicate with her fellow leaders, council members said. The result was constant infighting and mistrust between leaders and residents in the town of about 2,500.

Goodall, 57, said she will not allow a similar situation , and will change how the town's finances and meetings are managed.

Goodall's administration will employ a full-time town administrator, who will handle the town's day-to-day business operations. The town is in negotiations with a candidate who will earn around $70,000 per year, Goodall said. The town's annual budget is $5.8 million.

"Every time the council changed or the mayor changed, the town was in upheaval, and you'd have to put the town back together again. This way, when Humpty Dumpty falls off the wall, the town doesn't depend on those seven council members," Goodall said.

Forest Heights also will employ a part-time parliamentarian, who will keep council meetings on track and help cut down council member bickering and meeting length, which residents have said discourage them from attending meetings. The parliamentarian's pay is being determined.

"Our citizens here in Forest Heights are so disengaged," Goodall said. "I have found a lot of people that are concerned about what happens in the town, but they haven't been very vocal about it because they felt that they did not have a voice."

Goodall said she plans to reach out to residents using methods such as in-person conversations and social media.

In addition to communication, Goodall said she wants to ensure that the town is smart with its money, so it can secure funding for projects such as street and drainage improvements.

Goodall has struggled with her own finances. She has lost several lien and property civil suits ranging from $500 to more than $3,500, a concern several residents voiced in a debate a week before the elections. The only town-related suit against Goodall is the case filed by McCutcheon that claims her suspension was carried out illegally.

Goodall calls her personal financial situation "challenged," but said that will not get in the way of her leading the town.

"I'm not the only person that has had financial issues. We've all experienced what this economy has done," she said.

What does matter, Goodall said, is taking residents' worries seriously.

"I think they're concerned about the direction that their town is taking," she said. "I am very concerned. That's the reason why I ran."

awaite@gazette.net