Commissioners reappoint 2 to LCCC board; Moore objects

ELYRIA — A divided Lorain County Board of Commissioners reappointed two members to the Lorain County Community College Board of Trustees on Wednesday. Commissioner David Moore, a Republican, objected to the reappointment of board members Mike Sherman and Gerald Innes, saying that he instead preferred applicants Phil Baptiste and Dan Reaser Sr., both members of the LCCC Foundation Board of Directors. Fellow Republican Commissioner Michelle Hung and Commissioner Matt Lundy, a Democrat, outvoted Moore and his objection, and the appointments were approved by a vote of 2-1. County commissioners appoint six seats on the LCCC board. The remaining three are appointed by the governor. Moore said Wednesday that he knows and likes both Innes and Sherman, "but it seems that this board has turned political." "It seems like they (Lundy and Hung) are going to be reappointing two members to the board," Moore said following Wednesday's meeting. "It seems that we're overlooking two very, very strong individuals in this county that I thought would bring a lot more talent to the board. The college is about to go through a lot of changes soon, and I don't think keeping the same individuals on that board would be appropriate." Moore did not elaborate on what he meant by "changes." Baptiste, a partner at the accounting firm Cohen & Co., is chairman of the LCCC Foundation Board of Directors. Reaser, president and CEO of Outdoor Product Innovations Inc. in Elyria, is one of the foundation's 61 officers and directors. (Bill Hudnutt, president of The Chronicle-Telegram's parent company, Lorain County Printing & Publishing Co., also is a foundation director.) Lundy said Wednesday that he did his due diligence and interviewed all those who expressed an interest in serving on the board. He called Baptiste and Reaser "very strong candidates" whom he and the community hold in high regard. "I really appreciate all they do in the community," he said, including their service on the foundation board. "I have heard nothing but good things about both individuals. They are both impressive individuals and I would like to thank them for their commitment to the foundation board, and I'm sure they'll remain very active in the future." Hung said it was unfortunate commissioners had only two openings to fill and "a tough decision had to be made." "In interviewing the four candidates that applied, I thoroughly researched each individual, their references, their work ethic and their commitment to the college and the community," she said. "I can say that any of these four individuals would gladly serve and be a tremendous asset to the board." She thanked Baptiste and Reaser "for their continued commitment to the college," and said they both were clearly dedicated to community service through the foundation board. "These are two dedicated men provide the college their professional expertise and talents as they guide the foundation and assist in critical decision-making," Hung said. LCCC President Marcia Ballinger "has a diverse and dynamic board and foundation that work well together, and keeping the current roster where it is, is a win-win for the college and community," she said. Innes is an attorney and retired assistant prosecutor who was legal counsel to the county Board of Commissioners. Lundy said he is held "in very high regard, very well-respected and brings a good legal mind to the table" while serving on the LCCC board. Sherman, a retired regional representative from the Ohio State Association and Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry, has "strong labor roots," and attends many events at the college, Lundy said. The seven other members of the LCCC board are Ben Fligner, Don Ortner, Kevin Flanigan, Teresa Gardner, John Hunter, Margarita Quinones and Jessie Tower. Seven of the nine LCCC board members — Ortner, Flanigan, Gardner, Hunter, Quinones, Innes and Sherman — also are on the LCCC Foundation Board of Directors. After being elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2020, Moore and Hung appointed Tower, a fellow Republican, to replace Sanford Washington Jr. on the LCCC board last February. The Republicans argued that the appointment was theirs to make and did not belong to their lame-duck Democratic predecessors. Prior to announcing he was running for commissioner as a Republican against Lundy, businessman Jeff Riddell appeared before commissioners twice last month to recommend they appoint Baptiste and Reaser to the LCCC board. Unless a Democrat is elected governor this coming November, Republicans will get three more appointments to the board this year and next. Flanigan, Gardner and Ortner were appointed to the LCCC board by former Ohio Gov. John Kasich in 2018. Gardner's and Ortner's terms expire this year, while Flanigan's term expires in 2023. Lorain County Republican Party Chairman David Arredondo also criticized the reappointment of Innes and Sherman in a statement he emailed to The Chronicle-Telegram on Wednesday night. "It is with great disappointment that I learned that Commissioners Hung and Lundy re-appointed two Democrats to the LCCC Board of Trustees" he wrote. "Republicans offered the names of two outstanding philanthropic Republicans who have experience and connections that would have furthered LCCC's progress. Their addition to the board would have injected greater passion in higher education that would have benefited the entire county." "Reappointing old and tired trustees who have been set in their ways and distant from their former accomplishments shows how increasingly shortsighted these two commissioners are when it comes to our future generations," Arredondo wrote. "Instead of excellence, Lundy and Hung chose the status quo. Voters will remember this disservice." Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @daveobrienCT.