LUCAS COUNTY

Ex-sheriff James Telb is named to school board post

He will serve rest of Zimmann’s term

3/21/2013

Lucas County Sheriff James Telb.

Barely returned to the private sector after more than a quarter-century as sheriff of Lucas County, James Telb is back in electoral politics, this time as a member of a local school board.

Mr. Telb, 74, was appointed to a vacancy on the Educational Service Center of Lake Erie West board Tuesday night from among four candidates. He filled the vacancy created by the Feb. 20 resignation of board member Angela Zimmann, a Lutheran minister who is on a missionary assignment in Jerusalem.

Mr. Telb, a Democrat, will have to run in November to serve the rest of the two years remaining in Ms. Zimmann’s term

The appointment was made by a 3-0 vote with one member, Karen Krause, absent, after the candidates were interviewed, according to board Treasurer Richard Cox. The other board members are Michael Dansack, Jr., Joan Kuchcinski, and Joseph Rutherford.

Mr. Telb said he was invited to apply by a member of the board and speculated that his combined background in security and education was of interest to school officials. In addition to 28 years as sheriff, he has a PhD in education administration from the University of Toledo and was a professor there.

“Ever since the Sandy Hook situation there’s been a lot of discussion of security in the schools,” Mr. Telb said. He said his duties as sheriff included organizing school resource officers to counter gangs in the schools and allowing sheriff’s deputies to provide off-duty security in charter schools in the county.

“I’ve got something to contribute. I think that I can help in some areas,” Mr. Telb said. The former sheriff, who lives in Monclova Township, held office from 1985 until January, when he was succeeded by fellow Democrat John Tharp, after he opted not to run for re-election in 2012.

The board is elected in the Washington, Anthony Wayne, Ottawa Hills, and Springfield local school districts. It provides services such as special education, training, and consulting to those districts as well as to Sylvania, Maumee, Perrysburg, and Rossford school districts. The board meets monthly and its members receive a stipend of $120 per meeting.

The Educational Service Center, previously known as the Lucas County Board of Education and Lucas County Educational Service Center, also sponsors 62 charter schools in Ohio.

The other three applicants for the post were Jeffrey Bunck, a retired Anthony Wayne teacher and administrator; Michael Friedman, a retired traffic manager with the 180th Air National Guard Fighter Wing, and Beth Wagoner, retired director of curriculum for Maumee City Schools.

Contact Tom Troy at tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058.