Dover City Council President Shane Gunnoe chosen as interim mayor

DOVER — Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Judge Adam Wilgus has appointed Shane Gunnoe as interim mayor of Dover.

Gunnoe, who is Dover council president, received the oath of office from Wilgus at Probate Court on Friday.

Gunnoe said his goal is to work to restore trust and confidence in city government.

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The city has gone through a year's worth of turmoil, beginning in February 2021 when council called on Mayor Richard Homrighausen to resign, citing his "declining ability" to run the city. That was followed by a months' long investigation into Homrighausen's conduct as mayor.

As a result of the investigation, the mayor was indicted in March by a Tuscarawas County grand jury on several felony counts, including theft in office, having an unlawful interest in a public contract and six counts of filing incomplete, false and fraudulent returns.

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"I'm thankful for the confidence of Judge Wilgus and the probate court," Gunnoe said. "I'm grateful for the process that he established, selecting an impartial committee to look at resumes and conduct interviews. I'm looking forward to hitting the ground running and working hard to serve the people of the city of Dover."

Asked about his priorities, Gunnoe said, "There's a long to-do list. Obviously, we've got a lot of very pressing issues in regards to contracts, labor negotiations, purchase orders, permits, things that need done. The first priority is to begin addressing those things, and then to try to address some bigger issues, resolving some of the litigation facing the city of Dover in a way that benefits the people of the city."

The city is being sued by Dover Chemical Corp. over electricity rates.

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Gunnoe submitted his resignation as council president to the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections on Friday. Law Director Doug O'Meara had looked into whether Gunnoe would have to resign the office.

"I felt like, regardless of whatever the legal decision was, the appropriate thing to do for the people of Dover would be to resign as president of council and to allow that selection process to take place under Ohio Revised Code," he said.

The Dover Republican Party Central Committee will have to meet to select his replacement as president of council.

At the next council meeting on Monday, Councilman Justin Perkowski, who is council president pro tem, will run the meeting.

More: Richard Homrighausen suspended as mayor of Dover, says he's not guilty

Last week, Dover officials were notified that Homrighausen had been suspended from office by a special commission appointed by Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O'Connor.

The special commission determined that "the alleged conduct underlying Homrighausen's performance of the duties of his office as set forth in the indictment and the documents and materials provided by the chief justice, and as covered by the charges, adversely affect the right and interests of the public."

The commission, made up of three retired judges, issued a preliminary determination that the mayor should be suspended. Homrighausen did not contest that, so the commission's decision became final.

A jury trial in Homrighausen's criminal case is scheduled for Sept. 20 before Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos.

Wilgus had the responsibility of naming an interim mayor to serve until the charges against Homrighausen are resolved.

A committee composed of Dover residents reviewed résumés and cover letters of all applicants and recommended two of the applicants to the judge. Wilgus interviewed the candidates Friday morning.

Gunnoe said he was asked to wait outside after his interview while deliberations went on as to who would be interim mayor. He was then called back into the judge's office and sworn in.

In a press release, Wilgus said his No. 1 priority throughout the process had been to preserve the integrity of the selection process by protecting those involved from undue influence. He said he appreciated the service of the six committee members who assisted him in evaluating the six candidates.

The other candidates were: Dover Councilman Robert Mueller, Robert Coburn, Orliage Byrom, Matthew Paxton and Jim Devney.

"I understand that not everyone may agree with my decision, but I hope everyone will accept how the decision was made," Wilgus said. "I believe the process was fair, equitable and in the best interest of the city of Dover."

Gunnoe said he will reach out to Dover city employees to maintain an open line of communication and try to reduce any division caused by events involving city government over the past 15 months.

He plans on working full-time as mayor.

Noting that his appointment is temporary, he said, "Obviously, it's difficult, because you don't know how much time you have to work with, — whether it's a week, a month, or six months or longer. It's my intention to make the most of the time I can in office so that we can stabilize the city and put it on a good footing moving forward."

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Shane Gunnoe chosen as interim Dover mayor