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New county recorder won't give up council seat
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - December 23, 2008)
New county recorder won't give up council seat
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Burton Village Councilwoman Sharon Gingerich, who was elected Geauga County recorder in the November election, will be pulling double duty, at least for now.
Mrs. Gingerich said last week she will hold onto her council seat, hopefully until the end of her term, while taking on her new post as the county recorder.
"Unless something comes up that make it impossible to do both, I intend to continue to serve as a Village Council member," she said.
Mrs. Gingerich was elected three years ago to the council seat, a term that expires at the end of 2009.
She will assume the county recorder position on Jan. 5.
"I thought about leaving, but there are so many things going on now that I want to stay on to see them finished," she said. "I've worked a 40-hour job all of my time on council, so why would this be any different?"
Mrs. Gingerich said she conferred with the Geauga County Prosecutor's Office to determine whether it's appropriate to hold both elected positions. She said she received word that there are no apparent conflicts in serving in both positions.
A similar opportunity was offered to former Newbury Township Trustee Glen Quigley when the Geauga County Democratic Party appointed him to the recorder's post after former Recorder Mary McBride left for personal reasons two years ago. Mr. Quigley chose to concentrate solely on the recorder's job and did not seek re-election to the trustee position. He was defeated by Mrs. Gingerich for the recorder's post in November.
Had Mrs. Gingerich also decided to resign from council, Burton Village Council would have faced the task of interviewing and selecting a replacement. Council did that a year earlier, when James Koster was elected to the Berkshire School Board.
Mrs. Gingerich said there are several areas she would like to continue help shape in the village before she moves on.
One of the most important, she said, is the formation of a joint economic development district, a tax-sharing agreement, with Burton Township. She said she has been a longtime supporter of JEDDs, and, after nearly a year of discussion, it appears the first JEDD is moving forward.
While the initial JEDD concentrates on properties to the north of the village, Mrs. Gingerich said she envisions the possibility of working out several JEDDs for the financial betterment of the village. "The possibility of forming other JEDDs is far-reaching," she said.
Another project she would like to see through is the formation of a neighborhood watch program in the village, she said. "I want to help get that started."
While she has not formally started to take on the responsibilities of recorder, Mrs. Gingerich said, she has started to research the history of the position and hopes to establish a Web page that will list interesting facts.
She said she has learned that Geauga County's second recorder, Capt. Edward Paine Jr., served not only as recorder but also as auditor. He was credited in historic records with having logged and cleared Chardon Square and tilled and planted "wheat, corn, potatoes and other such crops as he saw fit."
Mrs. Gingerich said another historic footnote she may include is one that describes how certain measurements were arrived at. She said the measurement, known as a "rod," was determined to be 16.5 feet. That measurement was arrived at, she said, by measuring the left foot of the first 16 members who came out a church 400 years ago.
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