SIDNEY — Sidney City Council member Mike Barhorst has another title he can add to his eclectic work history – that of commissioner. He recently attended his first meeting as a newly appointed commissioner of the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC).
Appointed late last year by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Barhorst’s term officially began Jan. 14, 2022. His two-year term will end Jan. 13, 2024. Meetings are held in Ohio’s Emergency Operations Center located in the Ohio Department of Public Safety. The SERC commissioners meet bi-monthly.
SERC is made up of nine state agencies. They include the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the Emergency Management Agency, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the State Fire Marshal, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. Additionally, SERC has 10 voting members: two representing environmental advocacy; two representing industry trade association; three representing firefighting; and three representing local government/municipalities. Two members of the legislature serve as non-voting members. Barhorst serves as one of the local government commissioners representing municipalities.
SERC appoints members of the Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC) of each emergency planning district. In Ohio, each county has been designated as its own emergency planning district, with the exception of Montgomery and Greene counties, which combine their planning efforts.
LEPC members include representatives from each of the following groups or organizations: elected state and local officials; law enforcement; emergency management; firefighting; first aid, hospitals and health; local environmental authorities; transportation; broadcast and/or print media; community groups; and owners and operators of subject facilities.
SERC appoints LEPC members to two two-year terms of office. LEPCs use Ohio EPA’s inventory information to develop and exercise their local planning district’s emergency response plan(s)
“Because of the pandemic, only commissioners and support staff were allowed to attend the meeting in-person,” Barhorst said in a press release. “There were a number of virtual attendees.
“As the only new commissioner, I was invited to introduce myself,” Barhorst said. “I certainly felt welcome, and had the opportunity to meet several of the commissioners before and after the meeting. Because of my travels across the state last year on behalf of the Mayors Association of Ohio, I had the opportunity to talk to several commissioners and catch up on the adventures of the mayors of their respective communities.”
Barhorst reiterated that he is honored to serve. “While being a SERC Commissioner will require me to do a bit more preparation that some other things I’ve done, I look forward to better understanding the many facets of being prepared for emergencies on a state-wide basis. I also know that there is local talent in our own community upon whom I can call for assistance.”
Long active in community affairs, Barhorst has served on Sidney’s City Council twice (1977-1989 and 2007–present). He is one of eight individuals who have twice-served as Sidney’s mayor.
Barhorst currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio Municipal League, and has served as a trustee of that organization since 2015. He served as board president in 2019.
Barhorst has also served as a member of the executive committee of the Mayors Association of Ohio since 2007. He currently serves as president of that organization.
