Update Friday 11:00 a.m.:
Dennis Deters has been sworn into office. Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Tracy Winkler administered the oath of office.
Today Dennis Joseph Deters was sworn in as our Hamilton County Commissioner. He will lead with integrity
— Tracy Winkler Realtor (@ClerkWinkler)
In a Thursday night news release, Hamilton County GOP Chairman Alex Triantafilou said Deters would be sworn in at 1 p.m. Monday afternoon, in room 340 of the Hamilton County Courthouse.
Original Post: Hamilton County Republicans have selected a replacement for Greg Hartmann. He resigned as county commissioner last month, and Dennis Deters will take his place on the board.
Deters says he's in government for the right reasons. He wants to change things for the better.
鈥淲e talk about culture change and that鈥檚 a hard subject in government. But a culture change where we鈥檙e more concerned about results and accountability, (and) creativity. To boil it down, it鈥檚 making government run like a business.鈥�
Deters says he's dealt with a lot of county issues on a micro level as a trustee in Colerain Township.
鈥淥ne really good example of what we鈥檝e done there would be our heroin response team, which has gotten some traction across the state and the country. Because what we decided to do in Colerain was stop treating this problem like we鈥檝e always treated it.鈥�
Deters says in his six years as a trustee, he's also had to deal with increasing costs for the county's emergency dispatch center. But he's not taking a stance on the possible utility service fee approved in the last budget.
鈥淭he system needs to be fixed. We鈥檝e got a county that relies greatly on the individual municipalities to support their own 911 detail calls. From a county control standpoint, it can be unsustainable.鈥�
The relationship between Hamilton County and Cincinnati hasn't always been the best. For example, there are different opinions right now over the ownership and operation of the Metropolitan Sewer District.
Republicans have a majority on the Commission. And while Cincinnati's city government is officially non-partisan, Democrats are a driving force there.
Dennis Deters is a Republican, but says he has a good relationship with Mayor John Cranley. They went to high school together.
鈥淚 knew him when he was a younger man. He knew me when I was a younger man. Obviously, if there鈥檚 a need to discuss things, there鈥檒l be an open line of communication, (also for) council members, obviously.
鈥淭here can be a lot of politics that get involved in this problem, but if we let politics get in the way of solving it, we won鈥檛 solve it.鈥�
Deters says he wants to bridge the divide between the county and the city, so both entities can focus on making the region sustainable.
He will be sworn in on Monday, January 11 at 1:00 p.m. at the Hamilton County Courthouse in Room 340.
He will have to start campaigning as he starts the new job. The seat is up for election in November.
