ASHLAND – City Council unanimously appointed Steve Workman to serve as First Ward councilman during a brief special meeting Monday afternoon.
Workman will serve the remainder of Duane Fishpaw’s term, which ends on Dec. 31, 2019. Fishpaw took over as mayor on Jan. 21 after former Mayor Glen Stewart retired.
“This is very exciting for me,” Workman said after his appointment.
Council President Ruth Detrow said that Workman stood out from the other eight candidates who had applied to fill Fishpaw’s seat.
“Mr. Workman has a financial background and that is great. All of us who know him know he really is a worker. He will fill that spot admirably,” Detrow said.
The Wooster native has lived in Ashland for more than two decades and works in the financial department at Wenco. He was a banker for 32 years and previously had worked at FirstMerit Bank.
In 2015, Workman ran for the At-Large Councilman position but was defeated by Matt Miller.
“I had been coming to council meetings on behalf of the Ashland Board of Realtors on their legislative committee for the last few years. And that exposure had piqued my interest to the extent that I ran in 2015,” Workman said. “When the mayor resigned I realized, ‘Hey, this may create an opening somewhere down the line.’ And I certainly maintained that interest from the election to possibly fill that position on the council. So here I am.”
Workman was sworn in by City Law Director Rick Wolfe following the meeting and is ready to get started serving
“This is an appointment I take very seriously,” Workman said. “I welcome any communication from the citizens of Ashland and look forward to working with the council. I’ve got a lot to learn. I think open communication with your constituents is vital and that feedback is where we derive our thoughts and solutions to their problems.”
Workman said getting the roads paved using funds from the levy voters approved in November is one of the biggest priorities for council. Council will have a special meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 6 p.m. to discuss which streets will be repaired this year.
Workman lives in Ashland with his wife, Audrey, and is the father of two daughters and has six grandchildren.
