Former trustee Matt Hignett chosen to rejoin Eaton Twp. Board of Trustees

Eaton Township trustees Jason Monschein and Steve Franks on Tuesday voted to appoint former trustee Matt Hignett to his old seat to replace his own successor. Hignett will replace former trustee Dee Schippel, who defeated Hignett and Rick Vincent for a seat on the board in the 2023 election. After serving only about nine months of her four-year term, she resigned Sept. 17 and didn't respond to requests for comment on her reasons. A message seeking comment was left for Hignett on Thursday. Monschein said the trustees' deadline to replace Schippel, which by law is 30 days, was coming up soon. He said after considering candidates, he and Franks decided to bring Hignett back. On Tuesday "we came to the simple conclusion there was an election less than a year ago, and there was a second-place vote getter. So we just kind of looked at it as, the people chose second-place," Monschein said. That was Hignett, who came in second behind Schippel and ahead of candidate Rick Vincent in a three-way race. The final tally in the November election was 793 votes for Schippel, 596 votes for Hignett and 432 votes for Vincent, according to complete and official election results. Monschein said both Hignett and Vincent expressed interest in being appointed. Another option would have been to let Lorain County Probate Judge James Walther make the appointment for them. Franks said he "feels great" about reappointing Hignett to the board. "He's a huge benefit to the township," Franks said. Hignett will have to run for reelection in November 2025 for a two-year term that will put the board back on its regular rotating election schedule. Franks said both he and Monschein also will be up for reelection in November 2025. Hignett has 12 years experience as a trustee and is Eaton Township's representative to the Rural Lorain County Water Authority, Monschein and Franks said. In May, the Lorain County Board of Commissioners appointed Hignett to to fill Dick Heidecker's unexpired term on the county Planning Commission. Heidecker, a Columbia Township trustee, died in April. Vincent currently serves as chairman of the five-member township Zoning Commission. "So both of them are still active with the township," Monschein said. "We look forward to having them both serve the township still." Schippel won the 2023 trustee race after a contentious year in the township. Debris from the East Palestine train derailment in February 2023 was brought to Ross Environmental Services' incinerator in the township. That led to residents speaking out and sharing their environmental concerns. In the meantime, Ross sought to expand its operations by building an ash "monofill" for incinerator ash on its property on Giles Road. After months of hearings and controversy, Hignett and Monschein voted in October 2023 to approve the rezoning of 65 acres of Ross property on Giles Road to heavy industrial. Franks voted against the rezoning. Township residents then turned the tables. Voters passed a referendum on the March ballot to overturn the trustees' decision by a vote of 1,377 against the rezoning to 265 votes for, according to according to complete and official election results. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Check out our guide to the November election