The Logan County Commissioners announced this week that David Henry has accepted the employment offer from the commission to fill the position of Logan County administrator.
Henry has been serving the city of Bellefontaine as the safety-service director since April 23, 2018, following his appointment to the position by Bellefontaine Mayor Ben Stahler.
He begins his new position as county administrator Tuesday, July 6.
In a press release, the commissioners said “this position will assist the Commissioners in creating efficiencies, transparency and a responsive local government.”
During a Legislative Impact Meeting with the commissioners June 8, Commissioner Paul Benedetti detailed the creation of this position. He noted that the commissioners are each involved in a number of committee meetings that involve time out of the office throughout the week, so the administrator will be able to “get people the help that they need in a more timely way” by being accessible in the office on a daily basis.
Benedetti also noted that 66 counties in Ohio have a county administrator, and those counties are “poised for growth,” he said.
An extensive national search over the past several months yielded 21 qualified candidates from Minnesota to Florida, the commissioners said. Henry was selected as the top candidate from a field of five finalists.
The new county administrator started his service to the city of Bellefontaine in January 1998, when he began his first term as the Third Ward city council representative. Due to a change of residency, he resigned as Third Ward councilman in April of 1999.
In November of 1999, he was appointed to fulfill the term of a councilperson who had resigned to become a part of city administration. David was then elected to five terms as a councilman-at-large. In November of 2011, he was elected as the president of city council and he served as president until his appointment as Service-Safety Director.
Henry is a graduate of the Ohio Municipal League’s local government training academy with a focus in city finance, zoning, ethics and economic development
The commissioners “wish to thank all that participated in the process and are looking forward to working with Mr. Henry,” they said in the release.