House OKs clarification of sheriff-education rules

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State Rep. Ronald Gerberry, D-59

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David Aey

By Marc Kovac

The bill would allow a two-year associate degree to count toward eligibility.

COLUMBUS — The Ohio House passed legislation to clarify educational requirements to run for county sheriff.

The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Ronald Gerberry of Austintown, D-59th, was approved Tuesday on a final vote of 92-1 and heads to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.

Gerberry offered the legislation after a write-in candidate for Mahoning County sheriff was disqualified from seeking office.

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled last year that David Aey of Boardman didn’t meet the state’s education requirements to run for the office, even though he provided transcripts showing he had earned 60 credit hours of post-secondary education.

Aey was challenging incumbent Sheriff Randall Wellington.

Aey received 16 credit hours from Jefferson Community College in Steubenville for life skills earned for taking training courses to be a deputy years before.

The court ruled that the training “should not be acceptable as college credit under [state law] because it is already included in the separate eligibility requirement” for the job.

Enter Gerberry, who was primary sponsor of the original legislation on sheriff-education requirements while serving in the Legislature about 20 years ago.

The legislation approved by the House allows sheriff’s office candidates to have either two years of supervisory experience as a peace officer at the rank of corporal, sergeant or above, or at least a two-year associate degree.

“Currently, the education requirement says one must have the equivalent of two years’ post-secondary education in semester or quarter hours,” Gerberry said. “This language led to a Supreme Court challenge of one candidate’s qualifications and eventually his removal from the ballot.

“With the minor modification as proposed in HB 28, there will be no question as to one’s academic qualification and remove future disqualifications based on this particular section of code.”

mkovac@dixcom.com