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SWAC chair steps down
(by Dedra Cordle, Staff Writer - August 20, 2009)
When the Southwest Area Commission meets Sept. 16, there will be new faces occupying major seats.
During their Aug. 19 meeting, Ralph Horn announced that he would no longer be serving as chairperson for the commission.
“I’ve had a good run and it’s been a lot of work, a lot of fun and a lot of excitement, and I consider it a privilege to have served as chairman,” he said.
Horn has been with the commission since it was established in 2004, and has served as the chairperson for the last four years.
He said his decision to step down stems from wanting to inject new blood into the area commission.
“I wanted to give other people the opportunity to do this,” he explained. “We have a lot of younger people now on the commission and I want them to get more involved.”
Filling his position will be Jason Waltke, who has been with the commission since 2008.
Jennifer Miller, who has also been on the commission since 2008, will serve as the vice-chair, and Stefanie Coe will continue to serve as secretary.
Even though Horn is stepping down as chairperson, he will continue to serve the commission as an at-large member for the next year.
He said he would like to spend his time focused toward looking on ways to improve public safety, and getting to know members from the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and the Ohio Department of Transportation.
“They are very crucial for the area,” he remarked.
In related news, the commission’s annual elections were held on Aug. 4 and current members Rita Miller, Ed Walters and fiscal officer Kathy Hatfield were re-elected to another three-year term. Juantia Kaufman also agreed to serve another year as an at-large member.
The commission still has a few at-large seats available. Interested parties are asked to visit www.columbusswac.org for more information.
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