The City of Dover is without a mayor for the time being after Richard Homrighausen was suspended from office pending his felony trial for theft in office set for September.
With Homrighausen sitting out, Tuscarawas County Probate Court Judge Adam W. Wilgus is responsible for appointing an interim mayor for the City of Dover pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 3.16(E)(4).
“It’s really an unusual situation. Suspension proceedings were initiated before a special commission of the Ohio Supreme Court in March,” said Dover Council President Shane Gunnoe. “[During] last week, the mayor announced he would no longer contest those suspension proceedings. [Thursday], the city received notification the the special commission had determined to suspend him, so essentially he is now suspended.”
A committee consisting of Dover residents will review the applications and make a recommendation of two of the applicants they feel would best fulfill the duties and obligations of interim mayor for the City of Dover. Judge Wilgus will interview the two finalists and make an appointment.
Gunnoe said in many circumstances, the council president will become the acting mayor, but in this situation it is different.
“In most situations, there’s a section of revised code that the council President automatically assumes the duties of the mayor, but in the case of a suspended elected official, that decision goes to the Tuscarawas County Probate Court,” he said.
Gunnoe first told Jordan Miller on his show Live and Local on WHBC that he plans to apply for the interim mayor position.
“What Dover needs right now is stability. We need to get things moving again. The pile of work does continue to accumulate every single day, and we somebody with experience that knows the issues the city is facing that we don’t have to spend an extensive amount of time going through training on,” Gunnoe said. “I do intend to submit my application and go through the process to seek the appointment as interim mayor.”
Judge Wilgus is requesting any interested applicants to submit a resume and cover letter no later than 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10 to the Tuscarawas County Probate Court, 101 East High Avenue, Room 203, New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663. Applicants must be a resident of the City of Dover.