By Steve Kemme
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Tom Williams, the new mayor of Norwood, sits in his office in the second-floor auditorium of City Hall. (Steven M. Herppich photo)

In the early days of rock 'n' roll, Tom Williams regularly attended the teen dances held in the second-floor auditorium of Norwood City Hall.

As the voices of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis blared from the record player, Williams and his high school buddies stood in a corner, sporting ducktail haircuts and blue jackets with Greek letters.

"We were too cool to dance," Williams recalls, smiling.

That was in the mid-1950s. These days, Williams walks into that same auditorium almost every day. But instead of dancing to rock and roll, he sits in the mayor's office, one of several offices now situated in the auditorium.

"This is home," says the burly man with a white mustache and thinning gray hair. He was speaking of City Hall, a stately 90-year-old building of glazed brick and terra cotta with limestone trim.

As the new mayor of Norwood, Williams wants to turn back the clock a little. Not all the way to the 1950s but back to a time when City Hall offered more services and a more personal touch.

Since he assumed the mayor's post Jan. 1, Williams has made a point of promptly returning residents' phone calls and of getting out of his office to talk to them.

TOM WILLIAMS

Occupation: Norwood mayor Age: 64 Political party: Democrat Education: Graduated from Norwood High School in 1958. Military experience: Served in the U.S. Army from 1958 to 1960. Professional experience: Worked for the Norwood Police Department from 1965 to 1999, when he retired as a captain. Public service: Served on City Council from 2001 to 2003. Elected mayor this year. Personal: Wife, Mary Ann; two children; and three grandchildren.

"We have to reconnect with our residents," he says. "Most of the time, if you tell people the truth, whether they want to hear it or not, the trust will be there."

The lifelong Norwood resident worked for the city police department for 34 years and has served as a councilman-at-large for the past two years. Williams, 64, won the mayor's seat by beating Victor Schneider, a Republican, in last November's election. Schneider had been appointed to replace Joe Hochbein, who resigned last June because of health problems.

Williams has installed his own administrative team, including a new safety service director, a public works superintendent and a clerk of council.

He views the overarching mission of city government as this: Keep Norwood clean and safe.

But in a time of tight budgets that seemingly simple goal can be difficult to achieve.

Since going into a financial tailspin when General Motors closed its Norwood plant in 1987, the city has been working to rebuild and diversify its tax base.

When Williams was a teenager, Norwood was a thriving blue-collar town where many GM workers lived. Now it's become a magnet for upscale shopping complexes, office buildings and housing rehabbers.

But the city faces a projected $2.5 million deficit this year. Williams, a Democrat, and other Norwood officials blame it on overspending during Hochbein's tenure.

"Money was being spent and spent and spent," Williams says.

Hochbein vigorously defends his eight years as mayor.

"We produced more revenue for the city through new developments than any other administration during the history of the city," he says. "We also positioned the city for additional growth. Mayor Williams needs to stop the whining and really seize the growth opportunities."

Cassandra Brown, one of two Republicans on Norwood City Council, says she hopes all Norwood officials, regardless of political party, work together to steer Norwood through the tough economic times.

"I'm looking forward to working with Tom," Brown says. "I intend to assume he's willing to work with me and help me do what's best for Ward 5 until proven otherwise."

Councilman Will DeLuca, a Democrat, says Williams will be "a no-nonsense type of mayor."

"His 34 years of police experience brings a lot to the table," he says. "He definitely understands the issues we're facing."

In line with his focus on basic services, Williams has set as his top priority a crackdown on owners of dilapidated buildings. The buildings are health and safety hazards as well as eyesores, he says.

Williams, whose father was a Norwood firefighter, has confidence in his city.

"Norwood's been written off a lot of times," he says. "But every time someone writes it off, it bounces back twice as strong."

E-mail skemme@enquirer.com