The Xenia City Council will elect a new mayor from its existing council members. The remaining five members of the seven-member council are Council President Will Urschel and Vice President Wesley Smith, plus James Crawford, Ethan Reynolds and Faith Sorice.
Council also has 60 days from Monday to appoint two new members of city council.
Credit: Jill Porter Photography
Credit: Jill Porter Photography
As of Friday, the city has received 15 applications for the two council seats, and interviews for those candidates will begin on Jan. 3, Urschel said.
“We are so excited that so many of the citizens want to participate in local government,” said Urschel, adding that the candidates come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including professionals in healthcare, construction, and education. “It’s going to be a hard choice, since we have so many qualified candidates.”
Once appointed, those individuals will have to run again in November 2025 if they want to retain the seats for the longer term.
“I can remember times in the past where if there were openings, we’d be lucky to have two applications,” Urschel said. “But people are excited about what’s happening in Xenia. We just broke ground on the Market District, and we have nearly 1,200 new homes coming.”
Mays, who has served as mayor for nearly eight years, will be sworn in as a county commissioner on Dec. 30. She ran unopposed on a Republican ticket in November, and will replace current commissioner Rick Perales, who is retiring from elected office at the end of this year.
Dean will replace his father, Bill Dean, as State Representative for District 71, which includes Xenia, eastern Greene County, and Clinton County.
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