Oak Harbor's mayor, Joe Helle, has resigned

OAK HARBOR — Joe Helle resigned as Oak Harbor's mayor during a Monday night village meeting under pressure from council members who complained he no longer lived in the village and wouldn't say when he plans to return.Helle, a Democrat who is running for the Ohio House against state Rep. Steve Arndt, R-Port Clinton, maintains he was pushed out as a political move by council members who support Arndt."All this is going to do is double my resolve," Helle said when he discussed the developments with the Register the next day. "People are tired of the politics … this is a perfect example of that."Helle said that while his home undergoes expensive repairs, he has been staying for months with his fiancée in Port Clinton.Helle said he continues to come back to his Oak Harbor home to check his mail and continue various maintenance tasks such as mowing the grass, and said the village's solicitor, James C. Barney, had said Helle could legally continue to serve as mayor."I let the community know many months ago this was the situation," Helle said. But council members, in particular, Quinton Babcock, continued to raise the matter, and it came to a head during Monday's meeting. Helle said he chose to step down rather than put the village through a possible court battle."Out of the best interests of Oak Harbor, I resigned," he said.Babcock replied Tuesday that he didn't immediately demand Helle's resignation but wanted to know when Helle would return to the village where he's serving as mayor.Helle apparently hasn't been in the village for a year, Babcock said. Helle could not even say when he might return, he said."He didn't live in Oak Harbor, he couldn't provide a timeline for living in Oak Harbor," Babcock said. Don Douglas, a Republican candidate for county commissioner, was the president pro tem of the council. With Helle's departure, Douglas became the new mayor, Babcock said, and will serve until the general election in 2019.There's now a vacancy for Douglas' seat on the council, and the council has begun accepting applications and will appoint a new council member. Anyone who lives in the village is welcome to apply, Babcock said.Arndt said the actions at Monday's meeting had nothing to do with him. The lawmaker said he found out about it when his attention was called late Monday night to postings on social media.As for the council, "Many of those individuals, it's the first I've heard they are supporting my candidacy," Arndt said. Helle, a U.S. Army veteran, served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He was elected Oak Harbor's mayor in 2015.Helle is the Democratic nominee this fall for the Ohio House District 89 seat currently held by Arndt. The district represents Erie and Ottawa counties.Helle said he's already been spending plenty of time on the campaign. He said the main effect of his new status as a private citizen is that he'll be able to spend more time with his children.Reach reporter Tom Jackson at jackson@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @jacksontom.Joe Helle