Edison board member resigns

MILAN — An Edison Schools board member will soon step down. District board members seek applicants to fill the unexpired term of board member Jeff Whitacre, whose resignation is effective Sept. 1. Whitacre has been an Edison Schools board member since 2015. "The Edison Local School District would like to thank Mr. Whitacre for his service to the district," a district news release states. The newly appointed member will serve until Dec. 31, 2023. If the appointed member desires to continue serving, he or she must run in the next general election on Nov. 7, 2023. Per Ohio law, the board must name a replacement within 30 days of the resignation, and people serving on any Ohio school board must be at least 18 years old, district residents and registered voters. Anyone interested in serving on the district's board should contact treasurer Stephanie Hanna for an application. Applications are due by 3 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 19, according to the news release. The board will review all applications and name the new board member at a Sept. 27 meeting at Edison High School. Whitacre, Erie County's longtime public defender, also recently informed county commissioners he's leaving to become the magistrate for Erie County Common Pleas Court Judge Tygh Tone. He'll start his new role in early September. A search process, conducted by the public defender's commission, to find a replacement is now underway. Erie County commissioners will monitor the developments, as they're the ones who fund public defender operations. "The public defender is an important position. Everyone deserves legal defense," county commissioner Matt Old said. "If Jeff is leaving, I am certain the public defender's commission will (nominate) someone to fill Jeff's shoes with the compassion he has shown his clients." Whitacre, who's served as county public defender since 2001, talked about why he's changing careers and what's to come regarding his longtime position: "I am leaving the office to take on a judicial role … to replace magistrate Patrick Quinn, who served as a magistrate for Judge Tygh Tone in the Erie County Common Pleas Court. Coincidentally, magistrate Quinn served as an assistant county public defender for a period of time under then-county public defender (and the current Sandusky Municipal Court Judge) Erich O'Brien. "I am both honored and humbled that Judge Tone has selected me to serve as a magistrate in his court," Whitacre said. "I am truly looking forward to this new challenge and opportunity. With that being said, it is rather bittersweet to leave the office that has truly become my second home. "I have been with the office longer than I have been married. I have enjoyed the last 26 years at the Erie County public defender's office. Over the many years, I have been blessed to work with an extraordinarily dedicated and talented group of team members at the office. They shall truly be missed." Reach reporter Caitlin Nearhood at nearhood@sanduskyregister.com and follow her on Twitter @CaitlinNearhood - Support local journalism. Click here to subscribe to the Register.