(Photo by Michelle Dillon) Washington County Commissioner Charlie Schilling, left, speaks about why he believes an interim commissioner needs to be appointed until former Commissioner Kevin Ritter’s replacement is appointed Jan. 16, as Commissioner James Booth, right, listens during a commission meeting Thursday morning.

Washington County commissioners appointed an interim commissioner Thursday to serve until a replacement for Kevin Ritter, who left his seat as of Dec. 31, 2024, to be the next state representative for Ohio’s 94th District, and the two remaining commissioners discussed their goals for the new year.

Washington County Commissioners Charlie Schilling and James Booth voted to appoint Washington County Republican Party Central Committee Chairman James Vuksic as interim commissioner during commission’s annual organizational meeting Thursday.

Vuksic will be sworn in today, according to Washington County Fiscal Manager Ben Cowdery, though the specific time and location had not been set as of Thursday afternoon.

At first Schilling and Booth did not agree on the need for an interim commissioner. The discussion of appointing an interim commissioner was started at the organizational meeting, then the meeting was recessed, according to Cowdery. Then the organizational meeting was reconvened after the regular meeting was concluded Thursday.

At the reconvened organizational meeting, Schilling said he suggested earlier that they appoint a former commissioner or public official who understands the office to serve in the open commission seat until Ritter’s replacement s chosen on Jan. 16 and he recommended Vuksic.

“Commissioner Booth disagreed and doesn’t think that we need to appoint anyone right now,” Schilling said, and then he asked Washington County Prosecutor Nicole Coil what is the proper way to go forward.

“I would say that there’s not strong statutory authority, or any statutory authority, that you have to do this,” Coil said. “This is something that you are permitted to do, not something that you are required to do.”

Coil said the commissioners are within their bounds to appoint an interim commissioner in case something happened to them and they were unable to perform their duties.

“It might be a nice thing to have someone, another third commissioner … if you were in disagreement and something were to happen which would require immediate assistance by the commissioners it would then put us in a position where if you were in a disagreement we could then have a third person that would be able to break a tie,” she said.

Coil also said if something were to happen to one of the two remaining commissioners, the process of appointing a replacement would take five to 45 days and the situation could lead to at least five days where the county would not be able to move forward with business.

‘That’s the reason why I brought this up,” Schilling said. “I think in the best interest of the county, we have the ability to appoint someone and something were to happen … these kind of things happen and I think it’s more of a proactive sense than anything else just making sure that the county can continue to run from a business standpoint if something like that were to happen.”

Cowdery asked Coil if the appointment of an interim commissioner could be a voluntary unpaid appointment and she confirmed it could be. Schilling suggested talking to Vuksic to ask if he would be willing to do it without pay.

Booth shared his reason for objecting to appointing an interim commissioner.

“I know Mr. Vuksic, not best friends, I just know him and (James Vuksic’s) done a lot for the county,” he said. “My motion did not speak to his good character, nor his will to make Washington County better. This man employs many people, builds businesses and donates regularly to worthy events and initiatives. My objection is only to the unnecessary appointment. This board’s operated without one commissioner from time to time. We’re talking about two weeks.”

Booth pointed out examples of when Ritter and Schilling have been unable to attend a few meetings in a row and said there were no issues when that happened and they only had two commissioners.

“I just see it as an unnecessary step in government, but I’m up for more discussion if we would like,” Booth said.

Booth and Schilling voted to table the motion to appoint an interim commissioner until Booth could talk to Vuksic and then the meeting was recessed.

After the meeting was recessed, Booth said he talked to Vuksic and Vuksic agreed to being interim commissioner without pay.

“He plans on doing the right thing for the county,” Booth said.

Booth said he and Schilling voted to appoint Vuksic interim commissioner after he talked to Vuksic.

Vuksic said he agreed to be the interim commissioner because the commissioners asked him to be.

“I am happy to do it if it helps … it’s something that should be good but it’s probably not necessary unless something happens … I don’t see this as anything more than a placeholder in the event there’s an issue, if one of them has to be out or something happens to the remaining two,” he said.

Vuksic served as a commissioner in 1977 for two full terms, according to him.

“I think I fit two records for Washington County, one being the youngest commissioner and one being the shortest serving commissioner,” he joked, saying that he will be the shortest serving as interim commissioner.

Ritter’s replacement will be chosen by the Washington County Republican Party Central Committee, by all members present, 6 p.m. Jan. 16.

There are five or six people interested in filling Ritter’s seat, according to Vuksic, and they will be able to “throw their hat in the ring,” on Monday night during the central committee’s meeting.

Vuksic declined to share those in the running.

During the regular commission meeting Thursday morning, Booth and Schilling also shared their goals for 2025 during the meeting.

“I still have continued priorities for 2025 as Commissioner Schilling has his own and we all work together to get those done,” Booth said. “Now I’m going to continue to work on broadband for the county.”

Booth also said he wants to work on sewer for State Route 7 South and on working with Washington County Sheriff-Elect Mark Warden to get Ohio Attorny General grant funds to hire environmental officers for the county.

“The dumping in Washington County, whether it be commercial, whether it be residential, it needs to stop,” he said.

Booth said the county should continue to make fire and EMS a top priority, including centralizing 911 services and giving county EMS a building at the former WASCO site.

“It would be my belief that before we start any other initiatives or spend any more money we should take care of first responders first and get that building up so that they can store those county squads and the air truck so when there is an emergency that equipment will be ready to go,” he said.

Schilling shared his priorities for 2025, some of which he shares in common with Booth, including creating centralized 911 in the county and expanding broadband.

Schilling said inflation is something the county needs to stay cognizant of and that he will continue to advocate for the county’s community development fund in order for it to be a driver of economic growth in the county.

He also addressed spending on capital projects stating “capital projects in 2024 amounted to $1.25 million and I think the reality is we shouldn’t spend over $500,000 this next year in capital projects.”

Schilling said he will continue to advocate for the best public service that can be offered for residents through the county’s criminal justice system and to enhance development in the county while providing the best services possible to county residents.

Schilling also said he wanted to work on reducing child placement cost in the county by utilizing state programs; obtaining a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area designation to help the Sheriff’s Office in being able to obtain federal resources to fight drug trafficking; water service expansion and advocating for the county’s water sassociations in relation to PFAS settlement funds from the state; using opioid settlements to support programs and the Children’s Services Department; pushing state legislators to restructure or reexamine payment in lieu of taxes for Wayne National Forest because of its negative effect on Frontier Local Schools; and continuing to strengthen the county’s relationships with federal and state legislators.

He also mentioned the construction of Buckeye Fields, which according to Schilling, is affordable senior housing.

“Buckeye Fields is a project that we’ve got to continue to go down the path to try to get construction,” he said.

During the meeting the commissioners also appointed Stephanie Wittekind to serve as the interim county recorder through Jan. 6 as current recorder Tracey Wright’s last day was Dec. 31, and the new recorder Teresa Judson will take office Jan. 7. Wittekind works in the recorder’s office.

The commissioners also held their organizational meeting at 8:30 a.m. Thursday before the regular meeting. Schilling was chosen as commission president, Booth and Schilling voted to keep all department heads the same and the time and place for commission meetings will stay the same, according to Cowdery.