Licking County prosecutor announces retirement; Republicans will appoint successor
NEWARK − Licking County Prosecutor Bill Hayes announced he will retire on Oct. 6, setting the stage for a Republican Party appointment to compete his term, which ends Dec. 31, 2024.
Hayes, 78, is in his sixth year as county prosecutor after serving three terms as state representative, as well as Pataskala’s law director, assistant Licking County prosecutor and Licking County Probate Court referee. He practiced law at Hayes Law in Pataskala for more than 30 years.
He ran for county commissioner earlier this year but lost to incumbent Rick Black in the Republican primary.
“I had heart surgery in January and it’s not been a real rapid recovery for me, so I decided to enjoy life a little bit,” Hayes said when asked why he made the decision now.
The Licking County Republican Party Central Committee will appoint someone to complete Hayes’ term. The appointment must come within five to 45 days after the vacancy becomes official.
Hayes has endorsed Assistant Licking County Prosecutor Jenny Wells to succeed him but said he will stay out of the political process to select a new prosecutor for the remaining two years and almost three months of the term.
“I think she’s the perfect person,” Hayes said. “The staff knows her and it’s a pretty good situation. That would be my hope. I can’t imagine anybody else would do a better job.”
The next election for prosecutor will be in 2024 for a term beginning in January 2025.
Hayes said he's proud of the accomplishments in the prosecutor's office during his tenure.
“One of the main things we’ve done is develop a computer program that helps prosecutors keep indictments together and keeps track of all cases," Hayes said. "And we got the crime lab up and going."
Another major change has been the location of the prosecutor's office, out of the Licking County Administration Building and into the county annex on East Main Street with the Child Support Enforcement Agency.
“I think it was welcomed by everyone," Hayes said of the move. I wanted it for the security of the staff. Before, anybody could walk in, and now it’s set up so we can kind of control the traffic a little bit. We had a few crazies come through (the county building). It’s a lot better situation.
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: County prosecutor announces retirement; Republicans appoint successor
