Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued March 15 at 11:57PM EDT until March 16 at 4:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 61 IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EDT MONDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS
IN INDIANA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 6 COUNTIES
IN EAST CENTRAL INDIANA
FAYETTE UNION WAYNE
IN SOUTHEAST INDIANA
DEARBORN FRANKLIN OHIO
IN KENTUCKY THIS WATCH INCLUDES 9 COUNTIES
IN NORTHEAST KENTUCKY
LEWIS
IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY
BOONE BRACKEN CAMPBELL GRANT KENTON MASON PENDLETON ROBERTSON
IN OHIO THIS WATCH INCLUDES 32 COUNTIES
IN CENTRAL OHIO
DELAWARE FAIRFIELD FAYETTE FRANKLIN HOCKING LICKING MADISON PICKAWAY UNION
IN SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO
ADAMS HIGHLAND PIKE ROSS SCIOTO
IN SOUTHWEST OHIO
BROWN BUTLER CLERMONT CLINTON HAMILTON WARREN
IN WEST CENTRAL OHIO
AUGLAIZE CHAMPAIGN CLARK DARKE GREENE HARDIN LOGAN MERCER MIAMI MONTGOMERY PREBLE SHELBY
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ABERDEEN, ADA, ALEXANDRIA, AUGUSTA, AURORA, BEAVERCREEK, BELLEFONTAINE, BELLEVUE, BLANCHESTER, BRIGHT, BROOKSVILLE, BROOKVILLE, BURLINGTON, BUTLER, CAMDEN, CAMP DIX, CELINA, CHILLICOTHE, CIRCLEVILLE, COLDWATER, CONNERSVILLE, COVINGTON, CRITTENDEN, DAY HEIGHTS, DAYTON, DELAWARE, DILLSBORO, DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI, DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS, DOWNTOWN DAYTON, DRY RIDGE, EATON, ERLANGER, FAIRBORN, FAIRFIELD, FALMOUTH, FLORENCE, FORT THOMAS, FRANKLIN, GEORGETOWN, GREENDALE, GREENFIELD, GREENVILLE, HAMILTON, HEAD OF GRASSY, HIDDEN VALLEY, HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, HILLSBORO, INDEPENDENCE, KENTON, KETTERING, LANCASTER, LANDEN, LAWRENCEBURG, LEBANON, LIBERTY, LOGAN, LONDON, MANCHESTER, MARYSVILLE, MASON, MAYSVILLE, MIDDLETOWN, MILFORD, MINSTER, MOUNT CARMEL, MOUNT OLIVET, MOUNT ORAB, MOUNT REPOSE, MULBERRY, NEW BREMEN, NEWARK, NEWPORT, OAKBROOK, OXFORD, PEEBLES, PICKERINGTON, PIKE LAKE, PIKETON, PIQUA, PLAIN CITY, PORTSMOUTH, RICHMOND, RIPLEY, RISING SUN, SEAMAN, SIDNEY, SPRINGBORO, SPRINGFIELD, ST. MARYS, SUMMERSIDE, TIPP CITY, TOLLESBORO, TROY, URBANA, VANCEBURG, WAPAKONETA, WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, WAVERLY, WEST COLLEGE CORNER, WEST JEFFERSON, WEST UNION, WHEELERSBURG, WILLIAMSTOWN, WILMINGTON, WINCHESTER, WITHAMSVILLE, AND XENIA.

Wind Advisory issued March 15 at 9:34PM EDT until March 16 at 8:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)

* WHAT...South winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph becoming west southwest.
* WHERE...Portions of east central and southeast Indiana, northern Kentucky, and central, southwest, and west central Ohio.
* WHEN...Until 8 AM EDT Monday.
* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

Wednesday, December 5th, 2007

Mayor of Rockford resigns after election

By William Kincaid

ROCKFORD - Village councilors made no comment Tuesday when newly re-elected Mayor Robert King announced his resignation. It is a move that could significantly alter council.

Before the regular council meeting, King - who won a tight race against council members Amy Joseph and Eugene Steiner in November - stated he had stepped down as mayor on Friday.

In a letter given to councilors last week, he wrote, "to receive my public retirement benefits, I must retire from the public office before the end of my current term as mayor of Rockford, Dec. 31 ... This would require a period of two months from any elected position."

Council members were silent after King made his public announcement. King then handed control of the meeting over to Joseph, the current council president. He then left before the regular meeting started.

In King's letter, he called his resignation a "temporary vacancy." After retiring in order to gain his public retirement benefits, King said he would like to be reappointed as mayor.

However, that is not possible, says Village Solicitor Judy Koesters.

Koesters said Joseph will act as mayor while simultaneously retaining her vote as a councilwoman until Jan. 1. She said whoever is elected council president for 2008 will become the next mayor, according to the Ohio Revised Code. Council members then will vote on a new president in January.

Koesters this morning said she didn't know how King could be eligible for appointment, as the new council president - who would become mayor - would have to be voted on in January. King wouldn't even be eligible for public office until February, she said.

Koesters also pointed out that there will be a second empty council seat to fill in January, as Joseph's term as council member expires on Dec. 31. In November, Joseph ran for the mayor position, not her current seat on council.

Village Administrator Jeff Long said Rockford resident Todd McKee, 103 Wayne Street, has shown interest in becoming a council member and has submitted his resume to the city. According to his resume, McKee is a customer service manager at BAE Systems, Fort Wayne, and a graduate of Illinois State University with a bachelor's degree in economics.

Long also said that the village's mayor's court - which usually brings in around $600 a month - could be suspended until as long as February when a new mayor takes power and receives the required six-hour-training to conduct the court.

King has been mayor for six years, prior to that he was the Mercer County treasurer for 14 years.

Archive of December 5th, 2007

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