Union County Administrator Eric Richter has announced his resignation.
At a meeting Tuesday, Richter announced he is resigning to take a position as administrator for Washington Township in Franklin County.
“We really appreciate all the things Eric has done for us, for the county,” Union County Commissioner Gary Lee said.
The commissioners said they will discuss the replacement process with Human Resources Director Ginger Yonak. They said they’ve already started a review of the current administrator job description.
“We want to see if there is anything we want to modify or add to that job description,” Lee said. “Once we are happy with that, we will post that job.”
Lee said the commissioners hadn’t spoken yet with Yonak but expect the job would be posted for three weeks.
“From there, we will just see what the resumes bring,” Lee said.
He said there would likely be an interview committee of office holders and others.
I think we will use the process like we did last time,” Lee said. “We will take our time and make sure we pick the right person and I think we are still comfortable, two years later, that we picked the right person.”
Officials said they believe it will likely be the end of the year before they have an administrator hired.
Because of that time frame, Commissioner Charles Hall said the commissioners intend to name an interim administrator, “soon.”
The commissioners said they are “saddened” to see Richter leave. Lee stressed that Richter and the commissioners are parting, “on good terms.”
“He couldn’t be leaving on better terms with us,” Union County Commissioner Steve Stolte said.
He added, “We have just had a positive experience with Eric. I think we had a great relationship. He has made us think. His background fit very well with us.”
Lee said Richter’s financial experience served the county well.
“He was a great addition to our finances. The control of expenses was certainly one of his strong suits,” Lee said.
Stolte added that Richter brought a wealth of contacts to the county.
“Those contacts have helped us a lot and will probably continue to help us in the future,” said Stolte.
Richter said he was pleased with his time in Union County.
“There is still things on the goals list that can be worked on, but when I look in the rearview mirror at what we have done in my time in Union County, I feel like we got a lot accomplished,” Richter said.
County officials said the hope they will have the chance to work with Richter in his new role. In fact, because all of incorporated Dublin is in Washington Township, a small portion of the township is in Union County.
“The positive part is that he is not going far,” Stolte said. “We will probably have the opportunity to rub elbows with him in the future.”
Officials noted that the county is moving into budget season.
“Eric has expressed his confidence in Tish (Rayl) as budget management officer to get us through the budget cycle and we are confident with that,” Lee said.
Richter will begin in Washington Township on Sept. 27. Officials there said he will make $120,000 annually. Richter, who began as Union County administrator in July 2015, made about $103,000 annually.
From 2007 to 2011, Richter served as chief deputy auditor for Union County.
He briefly held a position as director of non-legal operations for collections enforcement at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
Before returning to Union County, Richter served as director of operations for the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Department, a position he has held since September 2011.