Mayor Jeff Gaskin administers the oath of office to Charles Withrow as he is sworn in to village council in South Point on June 3. Withrow will begin serving in August, to fill the seat of longtime council member Marlene Arthur, who died in April. (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

SOUTH POINT — The filling of a vacant seat led off business at the meeting of the village council in South Point last week, but, due to issues of residency requirements with the person chosen, the seat will remain vacant until the August meeting of council.

Marlene Arthur, who served on council for three decades, died April 29 at age 87. 

According to Ohio Revised Code, the council has 30 days to name someone to fill the seat or the duty falls to the mayor to appoint someone to the seat.

As the May meeting of council took place only a few days after Arthur’s death, the mayor and council agreed to deal with the matter at their June meeting, which took place on June 3.

Three applicants expressed interest in the seat: Eric Rawlins, Charlie Withrow and Sandy Daniel.

However, prior to the meeting, Rawlins withdrew his name from consideration.

In the days preceding the meeting, Mayor Jeff Gaskin said discussions with council had resulted in a 2-2 tie between Withrow and Daniel and no consensus had been achieved. He said he was prepared to appoint Daniel to the position.

However, at the start of the meeting, it was announced by members that council member Chuck Austin would be voting, along with Mary Cogan and Brad Adkins, for Withrow.

Cogan said council members had been contacted by Lawrence County Commissioner Colton Copley, who is Arthur’s grandson, and he had expressed strong opposition to Daniel filling Arthur’s seat.

Gaskin then called for a vote on the matter, stating he would appoint the council’s choice.

Cogan, Arthur and Austin voted for Withrow, while members David Classing and Rocky McCoy voted for Daniel.

Each member simply stated the name of their choice, except Adkins, who, in voting for Withrow, added the remark, “He has business experience. He’s not anti-business.”

This prompted a response from one of Daniel’s supporters, who said, “She is not anti-business.”

“That’s not what the yard sign said,” Adkins responded, before Gaskin cut him off and called for order, as Daniel and her sister left the meeting. 

Following this, Gaskin went to his office to get a Bible and proceeded to administer the oath of office to Withrow.

However, following the meeting, complications with the seat arose, as it was discovered that Withrow does no meet the residency requirements for the seat.

“He will on Aug. 1,” Gaskin told The Tribune on Monday, stating that a one-year residency is required.

Gaskin said the code says the mayor “shall appoint” in the case of a vacancy, according to ORC. “But it doesn’t say when.”

Gaskin said he intends to wait until the council’s meeting in August, which will fall on the fifth of that month, to officially appoint Withrow. The seat will remain vacant for the council’s July meeting.

“It was the council’s choice,” he said.

Gaskin pointed out that Arthur’s seat was on the ballot this November, and her term expires at the end of the year.

“So it’s only six months left,” he said.

He said candidates, including Withrow, should he choose to run,  have until Aug. 6 to file petitions for the board of election for the November election.

In other business at the June 3 meeting, the council:

• Heard from several residents, led by Michael Chapman, who sought for the village to vacate an alley behind their homes on Mulberry Street.

Chapman stated the alley is grassy and graveled and that he and other residents maintain it.
“The property is not being used,” he said. “And it hasn’t in years.”

Gaskin asked Chapman what he planned for the property and he said he hoped to extend his garage into his portion. He said the residents would split the alley between them.
He said they were able to get signatures from five of the six property owners in favor of the village vacating the alley.
The group was advised they would need to come back and present a request with six signatures for the council to consider a vacation.

•Heard from Jeremy Clay, of Lawrence County Economic Development Corporation, who gave an update on projects at The Point industrial park.
Clay’s visit, previously scheduled,  came days after it was announced that health food company Azure plans to open a facility in South Point, bringing 150 jobs with it. The facility is expected to open in July 2026.

“And they are bringing no one with them,” Clay said of the jobs at the new location. “They will be hiring top to bottom. This is a big win for the community.”

•Heard from Linda Main, of People for the Point, who reminded the room that the nonprofit’s Party in the Park will take place July 5 at the village park, with fireworks set for 10 p.m.

• Voted to repeal an ordinance, passed earlier this year, in which public employees would pay 10 percent of their benefits. This reverted to the previous setup, in which the village paid 100 percent of benefits.

•  Heard from Gaskin, who said the village is receiving $200,000 from the Ohio General Assembly in its capital projects legislation, to build an outdoor amphitheater. Gaskin said the structure, which be approximately 50 feet long, would be used for concerts and showing movies.

• Authorized Gaskin to request a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for improvements on the village’s riverfront. The village received $1.2 million last year from the General Assembly in funds Gov. Mike DeWine set aside for the state’s Appalachian counties. The funds Gaskin is seeking would be used for that project.

• Heard from fire chief Mark Goodall, who said the village’s new fire truck, a 2025 model, was brought to Lawrence County and made an appearance in the Ironton-Lawrence County Memorial Day Parade, before being returned to the manufacturer for additional work and completion.