Commissioners name acting treasurer
Montgomery County commissioners on Tuesday named Paul Bradley, a Democrat, as acting Montgomery County treasurer following the resignation announcement of Russ Joseph.
Bradley, currently the county’s chief deputy treasurer, is expected to get the nod later this month to serve out the remainder of Joseph’s term until elected Republican John McManus takes office on Sept 6, said Montgomery County Democratic Party Chairman Mark Owens.
State law allows the current office holder’s political party to pick a permanent replacement, but the appointment will be very short due to McManus’ election victory over Joseph last November.
The Montgomery County Democratic Party’s Central Committee will meet April 22 and likely select Bradley, so far the only person interested in the position, Owens said.
Having Bradley do the job until McManus takes office will provide continuity through second-half property tax collections in July, Owens said.
“You want someone who has been through it before,” he said. “It will probably make the most sense to have somebody from that office go ahead and do the job until the term expires.”
McManus takes office later than most office holders because of a state law that staggers county officials’ terms.
Last November’s treasurer’s race between McManus and Joseph could not be called until nearly two weeks after the election, when the final margin of 50.38% to 49.62% was confirmed.
McManus was a Dayton school board member from 2016 to 2020, He ran unsuccessfully in 2018 as a Democrat for the Ohio House of Representatives.
Bradley is a former regional liaison for Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio and has run unsuccessfully for Dayton Board of Education and Ohio Senate seats.
Joseph said he has taken a federal courts job with the Southern District of Ohio courts but declined to specify the position. He and his family will remain in Dayton, he said.