UPDATED: Tom Eichinger tapped for Hillsboro council president seat

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Tom Eichinger, a local Republican and chairman of the Hillsboro Planning Commission, has been tapped as Hillsboro City Council president by the local Republican Central Committee, the party leader said.

Paulette Donley, executive chairwoman of the Highland County Republican Party, said members of the central committee who reside in Hillsboro — a total of five — gave Eichinger a unanimous nomination at a meeting Tuesday morning.

According to a press release from the Republican Party, Eichinger was also nominated as the Republican candidate for council president in the Nov. 5 General Election.

The process followed Ohio’s guidelines for appointment of public officials following a resignation, Donley said.

Eichinger will fill the seat left vacant by former Council President Lee Koogler, who resigned in March citing health and family considerations.

According to the release, Eichinger frequently attends council meetings and “feels confident that he will have a good working relationship with both council and the administration.”

Eichinger told The Times-Gazette that he applied for the seat because “there were a lot of things I thought I could add to the process or continue to build on… I thought it would be a good next step for me. Hopefully I can help out.”

Eichinger said his general goals as council president are to encourage productivity and direct focus toward important issues.

“We seem to rush through things a lot and there’s a lot of last-minute decisions that seem to be made,” Eichinger said. “I’m hoping we can figure out a way to give council members and the city time to evaluate some of these things and make stronger decisions.”

According to the release, Eichinger has served on the Hillsboro Planning Commission since 2014 and is currently the chairman. He will resign from that post to become council president, the release said.

Eichinger is also a member of the steering committee for Imagine Hillsboro, a city planning process currently underway, according to the release.

Eichinger has a BS degree in chemistry and was employed by the Dow Chemical Company in the information technology area for 34 years, retiring in 1996, the release said. He and his wife, Carol, who has lived most of her life in Mowrystown, moved to Hillsboro in 2010, according to the release.

Donley said the party is pleased with the appointment.

“We find Tom to be versed in what’s going on in council chambers right now, and he has an interest in moving Hillsboro forward,” she said. “We’re pleased to have nominated him.”

Reach David Wright at 937-402-2570.

Eichinger
https://www.timesgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2019/04/web1_tom-eichinger-mug-2.jpgEichinger
Planning commission chairman hopes to encourage focus

By David Wright

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