ASHLAND – Wooster-Ashland Regional Council of Governments director Nancy Jewitt will resign effective Oct. 5.
In an emailed resignation letter, Jewitt wrote that while she appreciated the opportunity to run the regional dispatch center, “it has become increasingly difficult for me to find a balance between my beliefs and the political environment and managerial styles within the City of Wooster.”
Jewitt went on to praise and encourage her staff.
“For my team, you guys are the most amazing group of people,” she wrote. “I’m sorry that I have to go so soon. It was just getting good! Please keep fighting the good fight, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of the hard work that you do. This is a thankless job, and I just want you to know that I appreciate everything you do and the sacrifices you make.”
Jewitt, who has been at the helm of the regional dispatch center since last fall, has accepted a job as a dispatcher for the Chagrin Valley dispatch center, The Wooster Daily Record reported.
Her administrative duties at WARCOG will be taken on by Wooster Fire Chief Barry Saley, who will also continue in his current role.
The leadership change comes as city and county leaders in both Ashland and Wayne counties are attempting to determine which agencies should dispatch together in the future.
Currently, WARCOG dispatches for the cities of Ashland, Wooster and Orrville, while Ashland and Wayne counties each have their own dispatch centers. WARCOG leaders have said the council of governments will not save the member governments money, as it was designed to do, unless more agencies join the council.
The city of Ashland is considering leaving WARCOG to once again contract with the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office for dispatching services.
The city of Wooster, meanwhile, is attempting to bring Wayne County into a proposed new regional dispatch center. Wooster city leaders have expressed a desire to include Ashland and Ashland County in that new center, but Ashland County officials have been unwilling to discuss such an arrangement.
