Four new councilmembers were elected to the Village of Lincoln Heights council during November's election, marking a significant shift in leadership.After the election results, longtime Mayor Ruby Kinsey Mumphrey announced her r esignation on Jan. 1, ending her 10-year tenure as a councilmember without providing a specific reason for leaving."I want to thank the residents of the Village of Lincoln Heights for electing me for my council seat for the last 10 years," Mumphrey said in her resignation statement.Among the newly elected officials is Syretha Brown, a resident and activist who was vocal during village meetings last February when she helped lead residents' demands for accountability after neo-Nazis demonstrated near the village."I feel honored to be able to be a representation of our community," Brown said. "Just to know that so many people believed in you, that you can bring change or help bring the change ... is just the most amazing feeling."The leadership change comes as residents have long told us about their frustrations with what they called years of neglect from previous village leadership.Do you have a story or concern for Jay about Lincoln Heights? You can reach out to him here:"Those people that were sitting on those chairs and all of that ... no one showed the amount of care that our younger generation and our new council people have shown," said resident Charlene Evans.One project residents have told us about as an example of past inefficiencies is a stalled public Wi-Fi program.The village received $150,000 in county funding in 2021 to install Wi-Fi access points throughout Lincoln Heights, but residents reported connection problems, despite officials claiming phase one had been completed."If it's a time like COVID, where we had children who were at home, everybody didn't have it," said DaRonda Calhoun, a Lincoln Heights resident and teacher who supports the new leadership.WATCH: How the community hopes to see change through new leadership Village mayor resigns, leaves statement missing reasoningEvans said she hopes the new village leadership works to modernize their community."I'm excited to see things come to the twenty-first century," Evans said.When asked what advice they would give the new leadership, many residents told us they wanted the focus to be on the community."Keep the people in mind," Calhoun said.The village of Lincoln Heights, incorporated in 1946, was one of the first communities in Ohio incorporated by African Americans and the first self-governing African American community north of the Mason-Dixon Line. ...read more read less