LEBANON, Ohio—In small towns across Ohio, mayors are usually the glue that binds every aspect of the city together. And that’s definitely the case for the long-time mayor in Lebanon.

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The leader in Lebanon, a small town just north of Cincinnati is Amy Brewer. She’s small and feisty and she likes to get things done. She’s been mayor for 20 years and in office for 32.

Mayor Amy Brewer, is no typical mayor. She doesn’t have an office in city hall and pretty much never sits still.

“I don’t sit very much," Brewer said. "I’m always on the move. I’m always on the go.”

Brewer is known to walk the streets of downtown Lebanon, popping into businesses and checking in.

She says that’s the foundation of her success.

“To me to be a good mayor is you’re everywhere all the time," she said. "You have a presence in your community.”

Small business owners agree.

“We know our mayor, you see her," Paula Jackson, owner of Heritage House in downtown Lebanon said. "She’s present. She’s always going by, she’s checking out the town. When we were shut down, she was someone that pulled for our businesses.”

Despite popular belief, Brewer isn’t from Lebanon. She grew up in Cincinnati, before settling in Lebanon after college in 1985. Four years later she decided to run for city council, with four kids in tow. 

“I would introduce my oldest as my camping manager, one of them as my treasurer and that’s what I would do," Brewer remembers.

After 12 years on city council, she made the next step and ran for mayor.

“I felt as though my ability or hoping that some of my leadership skills would be an asset to the town," Brewer said. "And so I had that opportunity and council supported that and here I am.” “20 years later” “20 years later! It’s hard to believe!”

Brewer says she started her political career with the notion of just making a difference. She says she feels she’s done that, most notably with the downtown landscape. She’s most proud of how she’s handled the past year, which she says has been the most difficult one in office.

“We continue to grow, we continue to have people invest in our town, our businesses are still staying opened," she said. "We’ve really done pretty dog gone well considering a year of challenges and mandates. I feel very proud of our city.”

Now, as Brewer walks the streets of her town, she notices things that happened because of her. And businesses that opened because of her determination to transform downtown.

While Brewer reflects on her years as a leader, she says she’s thankful to her community that has allowed her to make their little town a better place.

“Are we a perfect community? We are not," she said. "Could we always do better? Absolutely. But we’re pretty darn close.”

Brewer says she’s not sure what’s next for her but she knows she’ll have to step down at some point. And when that does happen she’s looking forward to continuing to stay involved in the community she loves.