One LeRoy resident is running unopposed this year for the mayor’s seat.

Jennifer Gumbel, who works as an attorney out of Preston, has been living in LeRoy for a while and is now ready to take on the elected role.

“I thought it was kind of a natural fit for me to explore serving the community in an elected role,” she said.

Along with her legal education, Gumbel has an interest in politics — she lost the 2010 District 27B state representative race against incumbent Jeanne Poppe — and has a young daughter. She hasn’t served on the council or as mayor in the past, but she is confident she has what it takes.

“I have some experience with a lot of legal issues that towns run across,” Gumbel said.

Gumbel would like to focus on attracting younger people to LeRoy and fostering small business. She said it is important for small, local communities to retain their residents and draw young residents.

While streets and infrastructure are OK right now, Gumbel said an immediate concern is reducing the town’s debt burden. Down the road, the town will also need to replace its water tower.

“We need to start looking at rates and preparing for a water tower replacement in the next 10 years,” she said.

Outside of LeRoy issues, Gumbel said she would like to meet with other local community officials and have talks with the Mower County Board of Commissioners about county tax issues. While she realizes the LeRoy City Council won’t be able to address those issues, she hopes to represent LeRoy and help those in greater Mower County, as well.