Mentor School Board Member Appointed to Laketran Board

Mentor has more representation within Laketran's Board of Trustees, thanks to the appointment of a familiar face.

Lake County Commissioners announced this month that Mary Bryner has been appointed to the board of the county's public transit agency. She was elected to the Mentor Schools Board of Education in 2007 and 2011.

Bryner has 20 years of experience in property and casualty insurance sales and is an agent at Progressive Insurance. There, her customers include those with large bus fleets and that's part of the reason she was interested in serving Laketran.

"A lot of my interests in the community have been school-driven, but this would give me chance to help in a broader sense, countywide," she said.

Bryner replaces Rob Roberti, who resigned from the board in April. She is the second Mentor resident on the board, along with attorney Paul Miller.

Given her experience promoting levies and addressing the public in election years, Bryner believes she can help Laketran in November when a new levy is expected on the ballot.

"That's definitely a plus for me," she said. "I have a knack for working with people, and I'm well known in the community."

Bryner has also been an active PTA member for more than two decades, serving as both vice president and president of Reynolds Elementary and Ridge Junior High PTAs, according to the district. That, combined with her longtime residency and familial legacy in Mentor — she has a granddaughter in kindergarten at Brentmoor — Bryner assured people she will remain just as dedicated to the school board now that she is on Laketran's governing body.

"This is just another thing I want to spend my time on," she said. "I am firmly planted in Mentor and Lake County. Ninety-nine percent of my free time, if I'm not with family, i'm doing something for the community."