SHELBY — John Ensman is well-respected among fellow Shelby leaders and lawmakers.
The city’s director of utilities since March of 2012, Ensman’s wealth of knowledge and leadership is something Third Ward Councilman Eric Cutlip said would be hard to replace.
In October, Shelby City Council accepted Ensman’s forthcoming retirement — submitted for purposes of initiating earned retirement benefits, effective as of the end of the work day Dec. 31.
Ensman said in October he’ll establish his retirement with the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System.
But he has no plans of vacating the role for long.
His intended reemployment date is Jan. 3, 2025 — contingent upon approval by City Council to rehire Ensman and consider retaining his services as director of utilities and deputy director of public service.
As part of the legislation passed Oct. 21, council met briefly Monday for a special public meeting/hearing to conduct discussion of his re-employment.
“He (Ensman) is well-versed in what he does,” Cutlip said in October. “I’m glad to see that he’s going to continue to serve the City of Shelby as good as he has for all these years.”
Ensman has ‘worked from the ground up’
Fourth Ward Councilman Nathan Martin reaffirmed Monday his appreciation for Ensman and his decision to continue serving the city.
Martin admitted the thought of finding a replacement for Ensman was a concern.
“The amount of good people that we have working for the city who have come from the city, grew up in the city and then have dedicated their life back to the city that raised them is a testament and a reason why people like myself have chosen to make their home here,” Martin said.
“I can’t think of a better example of that than Mr. Ensman, and what he’s done for our city.”
Shelby Mayor Steve Schag said the mood among City Council on Oct. 21 would have been dramatically different had the term “re-employment” not been included in the legislation.
“We’re happy for you,” he told Ensman. “You deserve everything of the retirement — worked hard from the ground up.”
