By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Madi Kregel Christoff is a local government geek. She is unabashedly passionate talking about wastewater treatment, sitting in on public works meetings, and learning the inner workings of city operations.
On one of her first days on the job as Bowling Green community affairs coordinator, Christoff visited the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
“I went home and said, ‘This is awesome,’” she recalled, explaining to her husband that the plant turns solids into fertilizers for rural areas, and sends clean water on to the Portage River.
And when she learned that Bowling Green has its own electric power system, Christoff was pumped.
“This is so great that we’re able to provide this to the community,” she said.
Christoff makes no apologies for her nerdiness about how communities function.
“I have a love for local government. Leslie Knope is my spirit animal,” she said of the wonky character in the comedy “Parks and Recreation,” who believes government is there to do good.
While some may find local government meetings torturous to sit through, Christoff said she enjoys sitting in the background, learning about her city.
“I’m taking stock of where we are with things,” she said. “I’m taking time to learn more about the city.”
Christoff is not exactly new to Bowling Green. She grew up as Madi Kregel outside of Tontogany, graduating from Otsego in 2017. She met her husband, Jeremy Christoff, who graduated from Bowling Green High School, when both of them were involved in 4-H and Wood County Junior Fair Board. The pair were selected as fair king and queen in 2017.
Then Madi went to Ohio University to major in strategic community journalism, and Jeremy went to University of Toledo to major in mechanical engineering.
“We were long distance for four years,” she said.
After earning their degrees, the couple moved to Columbus – until they made a joint decision.
“We think we’re ready to go home,” Christoff said.
From there, it’s been a whirlwind. They got married on June 28, moved back up here on July 2, and Christoff started her new job with the city on July 14.
“Let’s bring it on,” she and her husband agreed.
“We know in the end, we want to raise our family here,” she said, adding quickly, “we don’t know when that will be.”
To return home, Christoff left a job she loved, as public information officer for the city of Dublin. It was there that she learned to put on her “resident hat” to communicate with the community. “We owe it to them to give them the best information possible.”
She intends to use that same mindset here in Bowling Green.
Christoff easily rattles off the latest press releases she has written on BG street closures, the 20th anniversary of the community center, and upcoming BG Rally on Main – all which she seems to genuinely find “exciting.”
While Dublin’s population is around 50,000, compared to Bowling Green’s 30,000, Christoff pointed out that Dublin does not have its own water system, wastewater system, electric service, or fire department – all thrilling for a local government geek.
“Here in Bowling Green, we’ve got our own things going on,” she said.
“People are genuinely excited to see where the city is going. That was contagious to me,” she said.
