The Village of North Lewisburg has received six applications from individuals interested in filling its administrator position.
Three of the individuals currently serve the village, including a council member who has resigned his position to apply for the job.
In January, 15-year Village Administrator Andy Yoder announced that he would be retiring in March. Yoder has worked for the village in some capacity for 32 years.
Among the candidates to replace Yoder are current village Fiscal Officer Jennifer McCombs, current Water and Sewer Superintendent Trevor Clark, and village Council member John Collier. North Lewisburg Mayor Cheryl Hollingsworth announced at a Tuesday night council meeting that Collier had resigned from council to seek the position.
Those applying are:
•Marc Bailey, of West Liberty, has worked as a diesel mechanic for the Ohio Department of Transportation, KR Trucking and Estes Express Lines since 2009. Prior to that he lists experience with landscaping, HVAC, fencing and construction firms. He lists himself as an accomplished mechanic with a record of repair and preventative maintenance. He also touts his problem-solving ability and supervisory experience.
•Keith Blosser, of Marysville, is currently an elder law attorney with Collins & Kruse Law Offices and a command judge advocate for the Fourth Civil Support and Sustainment Brigade of the Ohio National Guard. He has also served as a staff judge of the Advocate General’s Corps of the U.S. Army Reserves, as well as the director of operations and human resources director for the County Commissioners Association of Ohio. He has also served as an assistant and deputy attorney general for the State of Ohio prior to his military service.
•Clark, who lives in North Lewisburg, has worked for the village since 2014, running the water and sewer plants. Prior to that he held a similar position in West Liberty and worked for a company that worked with industrial wastewater at the Marysville and East Liberty Honda plants. He also lists jobs in companies handling security, excavating, drywall and home building. He noted EPA water and wastewater licenses and as well as other training programs.
•Collier, who resides in North Lewisburg, worked for the Union County Sheriff’s Office from 1984-2007. Since 2007 he has worked for a security firm, Midwest Express, Culligan Water and for a realty firm. He lists experience with snow plowing and operating equipment such as dump trucks, tractors and skid loaders. He also lists security, investigative, conflict resolution and computer experience among his attributes.
•Todd Freyhof lives in North Lewisburg and has been the owner of Champaign Realty Brokers since 1995. He is also a member of the LUC Regional Planning Commission where he assists with subdivision review and township zoning amendment decisions. He is also a member of the Zoning Appeals Board for North Lewisburg.
•McCombs has been the fiscal officer and utility clerk for the village since 2018, where she keeps records of transactions, provides financial reports, assists in budget preparation and processes traffic tickets, court and water payments. A village resident, she also serves as the youth director at the North Lewisburg United Methodist Church. Prior to working for the village, she worked as a branch manager for Security National Bank.
Hollingsworth and village officials will now interview the prospective administrators before making a selection.
The village will also take applications for those interested in filling Collier’s position on village council. A council committee will then review and interview applicants before making a recommendation on a replacement.
Hollingsworth said the goal is to have a new member ready to be installed at the March village council meeting.