Griffin Mayor Cynthia Reid Ward discussed her plans for this year Wednesday morning at One Griffin Center.

“Whenever anybody says the word ‘mayor,’ it kind of sends chills through me,” she said. “That’s because I have a different concept about our mayor then any other mayor.”

She said according to the city charter, the mayor does not have any additional powers and responsibilities beyond those of any other commissioner. All the mayor should do is serve as chairman at meetings.

Ward’s fellow commissioners selected her for the mayor position last month. She will serve as mayor for the rest of the year.

As far as specifically having plans as mayor is concerned, she does not have any specific plans.

“My goals are the same as they’ve always been as a commissioner,” she said.

She said she and Vice Chairwoman Joanne Todd will be able to unite the board and have an all-inclusive board. She emphasized that all the board members are equal.

As far as plans in general, Ward said she intends to focus on housing and quality of life.

“Quality of life issues are near and dear to my heart,” she said.

She said Griffin still has problems with substandard housing. In certain areas of the city, as a result of poor construction, the residents have higher utility bills.

Also, Griffin’s water and sewer systems are old and often not in good shape.

“We have a lot of problems with losing a lot of water,” she said.

The city is already working on improving its infrastructure. She cited the move to automatic meter reading, a program which will be implemented by Griffin Director of the Electric Bill Bosch.

Ward also wants to focus on city employees, who have not received a raise in the last two or three years. She said morale needs to be built up and creative ways found to compensate the employees.

“Saying ‘thank you’ is OK but after two or three years, I would want more (than) that,” she said.

She said she is looking forward to a prosperous year and members of the Griffin Board of Commissioners working together.