PERRYSBURG — Resumes are in for the city law director position and the search for a fire chief has been narrowed down to three candidates.
There are nine applicants for law director. All are graduates of Ohio law schools.
The several applicants have past court experience including work in the 6th District Court of Appeals. There is also a depth of experience in legal work for Toledo, county prosecutor’s offices and municipal work.
Highlights from the law director candidates’ resumes:
Scott Welch is in private practice with Drake, Phillips, Kuenzli and Clark and is a standby magistrate for the Toledo Municipal Court. In 2007 he started as a solicitor for the Village of Continental, where he provided legal services, especially on labor and employment issues. In his private practice work he works in public entity matters, focused on Ohio public records, open meetings laws and legislative matters. He’s a law graduate of Capital University.
James Tafelski is an attorney with Anspach Law. He is a past assistant county prosecutor for Wood County and Lucas County. He has experience in coordinating with Wood County law enforcement. He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
Eileen Sullivan is a senior trust officer for estate and trust settlements at KeyBank. She previously did similar work at Huntington Bank as a fiduciary officer. In the public sector she was a magistrate for the Lucas County Probate Court, with a concentration on involuntary commitment hearings at regional hospitals. She is a graduate of the University of Toledo College of Law.
Thomas Puffengberger is a senior attorney for the City of Toledo. He worked in the civil litigation unit for three years and has appeared on behalf of the city regarding civil matters. He was also a staff attorney with the 6th District Court of Appeals. He is a graduate of the University of Toledo College of Law.
Since 2009, John Kolesar has been a county court judge for Sandusky County, where he has presided over a docket of over 7,000 cases per year. Prior to that, he was an assistant prosecutor in the Sandusky County Prosecutor’s Office. He is a graduate of the University of Dayton Law School.
Joseph Gerber works in the Erie County Prosecutor’s Office as an assistant prosecutor. He has also held similar roles in Sandusky , Lucas and Ottawa counties. He is a graduate of the University of Toledo College of Law.
Chynna Fifer has been the chief prosecutor for the Perrysburg Municipal Court since 2018. She handles staff supervision and administrative duties, including submission of annual budgets and office payroll, and regularly works with the police about changes in the law, court decisions and trainings. She also does presentation of cases at court proceedings and drafts and files legal documents. She is a graduate of the UT College of Law.
Carrie Connelly is an assistant court administrator and mediation attorney with the 6th District Court of Appeals where she reviews an estimated 500 new appeals per year for placement on the court’s calendar. She also researches and drafts proposed decisions for five judges. Prior to that role she was a staff attorney to Judge Stephen Yarbrough, with the 6th District Court of Appeals. She is a graduate of the University of Toledo College of Law.
Kimberly Baker is policy operations manager with Toledo Council. She performs policy analysis for the 12 council members, conducts research and drafts memos and legislation. She specializes in housing access, economic and community development, public health, water and public safety. She is a graduate of Ohio Northern University.
Safety Director Patrick Jones, Human Relations Director Kelly Chalfant and Mayor Tom Mackin are interviewing the final three candidates for fire chief.
Highlights from the candidates’ resumes:
Thomas Granata Jr. has been deputy fire chief since 2018. He began as a firefighter with the city in 2001. He has a degree in fire administration from Bowling Green State University. He has also received specialized training as an Ohio Fire Executive Class XIII, with several honors. He has also served in several roles in the firefighters bargaining unit, with eight years as president.
William McCullough has been a battalion chief paramedic with the Jefferson Township Fire Department in Blacklick, Ohio, since 2010. From 2000-15 he was an EMS and fire instructor at the Ohio Fire Academy in Reynoldsburg. He was also the deputy fire chief and a paramedic for Bath Township Fire Department in Lima. He has a degree in emergency management and homeland security from Franklin University and is also an Ohio fire executive, with additional National Fire Service Staff and Command education from the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute.
Chad Morris is the Sylvania Township Fire Department battalion chief, a role he has held since 2019. As part of that role, he is the head of the fire investigation unit. He is also the head of community outreach programming. He has been a Sylvania Township firefighter and paramedic since 2000. He expects to earn a degree in Fire Administration from BGSU and an associate’s degree in pre-hospital emergency medicine from UT in 2023.
