Village of Minerva hires new administrator

MINERVA - Village officials' search for a new municipal administrator ends with the hiring of Benjamin Gunderson, who has been deputy administrator for Camden, a village in Southwest Ohio.

Gunderson will succeed Philip Turske, who recently left the village administrator's job to take a similar position in Norton, an Akron-area community.

"The previous administrator did a good job, providing good building blocks," Gunderson said. "I am focused on keeping the ball rolling. I know in the next 10 years we will want to do some improvements on the wastewater (treatment) plant. Minerva has key assets. The community has a lot optimism, not only from the residents, but also the business owners."

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Gunderson will begin his job in Minerva on March 1. A native of Fort Madison, Iowa, Gunderson holds a bachelor's degree from Miami University. He is pursuing a master's degree at Kent State University.

Camden, where Gunderson has been employed, is a village of about 2,000 residents. It is about 30 miles southwest of Dayton in Preble County. Minerva has a population of about 3,680.

Efforts to contact Mayor Timothy Tarbet regarding the selection of Gunderson were not successful. However, the village Administrator Rusty Wilson of Camden describes Gunderson as "very driven." Wilson credited Gunderson with moving along plans to implement a municipal zoning code in Camden.

"He is the one who started that," Wilson said. "It is just about done."

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Benjamin Gunderson is the new Minerva administater.