The third seat for the Washington County Board of Commission has been vacant since former Commissioner James Booth resigned Oct. 31.

Changes in leadership happen from time to time and there are processes in place to prevent vacancies from elected positions from going too long.

Commission President Charlie Schilling said the seat will be appointed by the Washington County Republican Party Central Committee.

The Washington County Republican Party Central Committee is made up of members who represent the 50 precincts in the county. There are some unfilled seats which means there are about 45 seats currently filled.

“They have 45 days after the resignation to appoint an individual to occupy the position,” said Schilling.

Booth served on the board of commission since 2021 and has been a voice for residents in the community during his time in office. He announced his resignation in a letter during a meeting Oct. 9 but didn’t indicate his exact final day in office until a later meeting Oct. 30.

“My hope is that I have served you as well as I could,” he said in his formal resignation letter.

Schilling said the committee is expected to meet on Nov. 20 to hold an open public meeting and appoint a county commissioner.

“As commissioners, we are allowed to appoint but (Eddie) Place and I felt it was necessary for the central committee to do this process,” said Schilling. “They have expedited the process.”

The same rules for running in an election apply to the candidate appointed for the position, but ultimately anyone who is interested can run.

Schilling said those who are interested in the position will be present at the meeting and there will be a voting process.

Whoever wins the majority vote will immediately occupy the vacant seat.

“We keep focused on the committee we’re appointed to and we try to get someone to fill those vacant positions,” he said.

The appointed commissioner will fill the seat but will then go on the general election ballot in November 2026. Due to the time at which Booth resigned, the position and any interested candidates couldn’t be considered for the recent election on Nov. 4.

Schilling said the appointed individual will be added to next year’s ballot to provide other parties an opportunity to run against the appointed commissioner.

The appointment follows about 10 months after another change in leadership amongst the commissioners.

After former commissioner Kevin Ritter was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives during the Nov. 5, 2024 election, his seat was vacant after Dec. 31.

Schilling and Booth selected Republican Party Central Committee Chairman James Vuksic as interim commissioner before Eddie Place was appointed to fill the vacancy shortly after.

The demands of the community ebbs and flows as well as its changes in leadership. Despite these changes, the processes in place prevent those positions from going vacant for long.