GOP County Engineer quitting after Democratic challenger surfaces in November
Franklin County Engineer Cornell Robertson, one of the few Republicans holding county office in what is largely a Democratic stronghold, resigned Wednesday with 11 months remaining on his four-year term.
Robertson, who assumed office in 2017 when he was appointed by the Franklin County Republican Party to replace longtime engineer Dean Ringle, hasn't made himself available for comment on the decision over the last two days, but his departure was confirmed by his office spokesperson Carla Marable Wednesday morning.
"There is a season and a time for everything," and it was "time for me to focus on my family," Robertson said in a resignation letter he delivered to the Franklin County Commissioners, dated in late December.
Marable characterized Robertson's departure as a "retirement," even though his letter says it's a "resignation," and "I will be resigning." He gave no reason as to the timing of his departure, coming less than a year before the end of his elected term.
Marable noted Robertson qualifies to receive a public pension, making it a retirement.
However, in resigning his elected post, Robertson has set in motion an official mechanism to replace him under state law.
Robertson ran unopposed in 2020, but this year Democrat Adam William Fowler filed to oppose him. Being on the Franklin County Democratic Party's endorsed sample ballot has been a key element of campaign victory in recent years, with some judicial candidates simply deciding to switch from being a Republican to being a Democrat rather than run against one.
Robertson was named acting engineer in June 2017 when Ringle left office after 17 years of running the engineer's office, which is responsible for maintaining 357 county bridges, 850 miles of streets and roads, and 259 miles of "county roadways," as well as other responsibilities.
Robertson, a licensed professional engineer and professional surveyor, has been with the engineer's office for more than 32 years in several roles. His most recent position before taking over the elected post was chief deputy engineer, second in command at the office.
"We anticipate the (Franklin County) commissioners appointing Brad Foster to fill the vacancy (Thursday) at their weekly briefing session at 9:00 a.m., and that Brad will be sworn in at that time" as acting engineer, Tyler Lowry, a spokesperson for the commissioners, said in an email Wednesday. Foster was a chief deputy engineer under Robertson.
But under Ohio law, that acting appointment must be signed off on within 45 days by the political party that nominated the last occupant of the office as a candidate, which in this case would be the Franklin County Republican Party and it would be free to choose a different person.
In order to be eligible, the person appointed as county engineer must be fully licensed as both a "registered professional engineer" and a "registered professional surveyor," according to state law, limiting potential candidates.
Despite his office spokeswoman characterizing his departure as a retirement, it is unclear if Robertson will continue working as Ringle did.
Ringle retired as county engineer, but then became executive director of the County Engineers Association of Ohio, a private entity, allowing him to to collect his government pension and a paycheck from the association simultaneously. Ringle still works there, according to the organization's website.
But Robertson told the Franklin County commissioners on Tuesday that he plans to "take on hopefully a second career, being as young as I am, good Lord willing, I hoped I could have a second career that would allow me to still serve society. ... I hope to serve still in the engineering and construction industry, just in a different manner."
wbush@gannett.com
@ReporterBush
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Franklin County Engineer leaving office at end of Wednesday
