LEXINGTON, Ohio—The new year introduces some transitions for the Village of Lexington with the resignation of Village Administrator Aaron Wiegand and Assistant Finance Director Lori Walker. Lexington Council met in regular session Monday evening to establish interim village employee positions.
During the meeting, council approved Ordinance No. 15-02, which authorizes Lexington Police Chief Brett Pauley to also serve as acting village administrator on an interim basis until a replacement village administrator is hired. The ordinance also authorizes IT Coordinator and Zoning Administrator Andrew Smallstey to serve as assistant village administrator on an as-needed basis.
Additionally, Peter Them, an employee with the water/sewer department, will serve as assistant finance director on an interim basis until an assistant finance director is hired, the ordinance stated.
According to Mayor Eugene Parkison, Walker resigned Jan. 2 and Wiegand resigned Jan. 5. The hope is that a search committee will be formed sometime soon to begin looking for their replacements, he said, noting that the village has already received several resumes that will all be considered.
In the meantime, the mayor thinks the interim replacements will bring about a smooth transition. Both Smallstey and Pauley have served the village for 20-plus years, he noted, adding, “I think Chief Pauley and Andy will bring stability within the administration.”
Smallstey served 18 years in the Lexington Police Department. In October of 2010, he entered his current position as IT coordinator and he also took on the role of zoning administrator.
Pauley became a fulltime officer with the Lexington Police Department in 1992. He became chief in 2003.
In other business, council approved Resolution No. 15-01, which allows the village to sell property no longer needed for municipal purposes through an Internet auction during calendar year 2015. The mayor said this is a resolution that is approved yearly so that the village can sell items no longer of use, such as a retired police cruiser, via the website www.govdeal.com.
“We’ve always had reasonably good luck with advertising and selling,” he said.
Council also unanimously selected Bob Jarvis to serve as council president and Adam Gongwer as parliamentarian. They both currently serve in those roles. This will be Jarvis’ fourth year as council president and Gongwer’s second year as parliamentarian.
As part of the meeting, Parkison recognized the Light Up Lexington residential winners: Neal Franzen at 40 Holiday Hill earned first place; Eric Tomlinson at 5 Darby Drive earned second place; and Jerry Kiser at 229 Hanover Road earned third place. The business winner was Bucks Bar & Grill.
The next council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 20 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 19.
