Longtime Monroe council member resigns, council seeks new member

Monroe is seeking candidates to replace a city council member who resigned last month.

At council’s Dec. 19 meeting, Councilwoman Suzi Rubin submitted her resignation, effective Dec. 31. Officials said that Rubin is planning to move out of state after her husband retires.

“It seemed like a good time to step down because it would give a new council member time to learn the job before the next election,” she said. “When I came on council, it was to help the city when it was in fiscal emergency.”

Rubin said she’s “a person that can’t leave something undone but everyone is fully capable of taking the city to the next step.”

Councilman Dan Clark thanked Rubin for everything she had done for the city and called her resignation “a big loss for the city of Monroe and a loss for the entire community.”

MORE: Keller cruises to win for 53rd Ohio House seat

“I think it’s good having dissenting voices because you get the best answers when it’s coming from multiple points of view,” Rubin said. “I appreciate your view points even though I don’t agree with them all of the time.”

Monroe City Council accepted Rubin’s resignation “with regret” with a number of council members and city staff praising her for her dedication and commitment to the community.

Rubin was appointed as a council member since 2004 and won full four-year terms in 2007, 2011 and 2015 as well as serving as the city’s vice mayor. In the 2015 municipal election, she was the leading vote-getter in the four-candidate field seeking four open seats. A Democrat, Rubin also made four unsuccessful runs for the 53rd Ohio House seat in a very heavily Republican district.

Over the years, Rubin has served on a number of local and regional boards and commissions and has served as president of the Warren County Municipal League and the Monroe Area Community Investment Corporation. She was part of the effort to create the Monroe Local School District in 1999 and served as one of its founding board members and board president. Previously, Monroe was part of the Middletown school district.

Rubin served on the city’s 25-year strategic planning committee and on the update committee. She also served on the state’s Financial Planning and Supervision Commission as part of the State Auditor’s committee for fiscal recovery, overseeing the city of Monroe. Monroe applied for fiscal emergency status in 2004 and was removed from fiscal emergency by the state in 2007.

Council has 30 days to appoint a new council member to fill the vacancy, according to the city charter.

Residents who are interested in completing the final two years of Rubin’s term have until Jan. 11 to submit a letter of interest that includes why they would want to serve on the council and a resume to Angela S. Wasson, Clerk of Council, P.O. Box 330, Monroe, Ohio 45050, or via email to wassona@monroeohio.org.

A person must be a resident and qualified elector of Monroe for at least one year immediately prior to election or appointment and shall continue to be a resident and qualified elector of Monroe throughout the term of office. A person cannot hold other compensated office or position of employment with Monroe, nor hold any other compensated elected public office.

Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month at 6:30 p.m. There are occasional special meetings, as well as meetings of different council committees.

About the Author