In less than a month’s time, two seats on Plain City Council have become vacant.
Shortly after the village’s previous mayor’s, Darrin Lane’s, resignation on Sept. 30, former Council member Darren Lee submitted his as well.
Like the former Mayor, Lee also stepped down after moving out of the Village limits.
In a resignation letter addressed to new Mayor Jody Carney, Lee thanked residents for the chance to serve Plain City.
“I would like to thank the Village constituents for the opportunity to serve the community as a member of Village Council and as a representative on the Planning and Zoning Commission,” he wrote.
He noted that his resignation also included his position as Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Currently, both Lee’s and Carney’s, who previously served as council president, former council seats are vacant.
Village Administrator Nathan Cahall said, according to Ohio Revised Code, council has 30 days to appoint an individual to fill each of the vacant seats. If council does not act, as mayor, Carney could appoint her choice to the position.
Following Carney’s appointment as mayor, council opened an application for residents interested in filling her former seat. The application period ended Tuesday.
Rather than creating a separate process, Carney said council will use the same pool of applicants to fill Lee’s vacant seat.
However, there will be little competition for the seats as she said council received just two applications.
The first of the applicants is Lauren DeCamp Giaimo, who is currently the Strategic Communications and Special Projects Manager for the Ohio Department of Medicaid.
Aside from her current role, she noted in her application that she has worked for the State of Ohio in various roles for the past nine years.
Her resume lists positions with the Ohio Treasurer of State, Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee and the Ohio House of Representatives.
She said she believes her experience “serving constituents, developing draft legislation and participating in the state budget process” equip her to serve on council.
Giaimo graduated from Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.
She noted that she and her husband have lived in the village for approximately one year and plan on raising a family in the area.
“During this time, it has been clear to see that Plain City is quickly growing,” Giaimo wrote in her application. “I would appreciate the opportunity to be involved in the development process and believe my previous experience would be beneficial during this time.”
If appointed to council, she indicated that she would like to serve on the capital improvement plan committee as well.
The second applicant, Michael Terry, is currently a Senior Finance Manager for HFI Inc., based in Canal Winchester.
He has also worked in finance at various companies throughout Central Ohio, including Ashland Incorporated and Vertiv.
He holds a Masters of Business Administration from The Keller School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in the Business Administration from Ohio State University.
Terry said he and his wife have lived in Plain City for approximately three and a half years and both of their children were born during that time.
“As the city grows, I am very interested in being engaged in shaping the future of our community to ensure that we become the great city that I know we can become,” he wrote in his application.
While he described himself as “newer to the community,” he said he has been involved with the Village during his residency.
He is a member of the personnel and finance committee and served as a member of the charter commission.
Terry chose not to indicate a specific committee he would like to serve on if appointed to council but instead wrote that he wants to “serve my community in any way that I can.”
Cahall said there is an agenda item for tonight’s work session for council to discuss the current vacancies.
Although Carney gauged interest in holding the work session in a hybrid style, with council members in person and the public able to join online, council members said Monday they would like to hold off on returning to in-person meetings.
Council members John Rucker and Sherry Heineman said they know individuals who have recently tested positive for COVID-19, while Shannon Pine said she felt as though it was too early to return while “Central Ohio is spiking.”
Information to join the Zoom work session is available on the village’s website, www.plain-city.com.