Mayor elected OML vice president

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COLUMBUS — Sidney Mayor Mike Barhorst was elected First Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio Municipal League (OML) at its Dec. 1 meeting in Columbus. Barhorst has served on the board just three years.

Barhorst was appointed to fill an unexpired term on the Board of the Municipal League in 2015. He was subsequently elected to a full term at the annual meeting of the OML in 2016.

Garnet “Sis” Love, a past OML Board president, noted Barhorst had been an active member of the Board from the time of his appointment.

“He has been of tremendous assistance as we move the OML forward. He provided tremendous assistance in the hiring process for OML’s executive director, he has testified on behalf of municipalities before the General Assembly on several occasions, and his more than two decades of service as an elected official make him a natural fit as an officer of this organization,” said Love.

Once the Nominating Committee report was made by Past OML Board President and Springfield City Manager Jim Bodenmiller, Barhorst was unanimously elected by the Board.

“I am deeply humbled to have been elected,” Barhorst said following the meeting. “The OML has a tremendous amount of work to do in the coming year. We must find ways to mend the fissure that exists between the General Assembly and municipalities. I look forward to being a part of that process.”

Barhorst, who served as OML’s second vice president in 2017, will serve as first vice president in 2018, and then as president in 2019. His formal service in an OML leadership role will conclude in 2020, when he will serve asimmediate past president.

The Ohio Municipal League was incorporated as an Ohio non-profit corporation in 1952 by city and village officials who saw the need for a statewide association to serve the interests of Ohio’s municipal governments. The Ohio Municipal League is governed by a Board of Trustees, elected by the membership.

The Board consists of the previous two past presidents of the League, as long as they are municipal officials, and 28 Trustees elected for two-year terms. Of the 28 trustees, at least one must be the mayor of a city or village; a city manager; a fiscal officer or finance director; a solicitor or director of law; a member of a municipal legislative body, other than the mayor. The Board is the policy-making body of the OML.

Barhorst has served as an at-large city councilmember since 2007. He was elected mayor that same year, and has served in that capacity since. He previously served as a councilmember from 1977 through 1989, serving as vice mayor from 1981-1987 and as mayor from 1987-1989. Barhorst is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Ohio Mayors Association, and an officer in that organization as well.

Barhorst spent much of his career as a teacher, coach and administrator. He left Lehman Catholic High School as the school’s president following a 40-year career as a Catholic educator.

Long active in community affairs, Barhorst has served on numerous committees and boards. In addition to his duties with the OML and the Ohio Mayor’s Association, he is currently a member of the board of the Johnston Farm & Indian Agency, the Shelby County Land Reutilization Corporation, and the Community Improvement Corporation. He also chairs the Community Traffic Safety Network of Shelby County, the Homeless Task Force, the planning committee for the Sidney/Shelby County Bicentennials and the planning committee for the Civil War Living History Weekend.

Sidney Mayor Mike Barhorst discusses the future of the Ohio Municipal League (OML) with Marion Mayor and OML Board President Scott Schertzer and OML Executive Director Kent Scarrett. Barhorst was elected first vice president of the Board Dec. 1.
http://www.sidneydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2017/12/web1_barhorst.jpgSidney Mayor Mike Barhorst discusses the future of the Ohio Municipal League (OML) with Marion Mayor and OML Board President Scott Schertzer and OML Executive Director Kent Scarrett. Barhorst was elected first vice president of the Board Dec. 1. Courtesy photo

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