Officials oust interim leader

Attorney JR White named new Lorain County administrator

The Lorain County Board of Commissioners voted Oct. 13 to terminate interim Lorain County Administrator Rob Weber, and hired James “JR” White as the top administrator.

The commissioners voted unanimously for the changes with White hired at a salary of $149,000 annually.

Commissioner Dave Moore said he believes White is a solid hire who will jump right in and help Lorain

County on multitude projects on the go.

“We needed a steady hand, and JR White’s like an HR attorney, and I think he’ll bring a lot of stability, in which the last two months, there hasn’t been since they terminated Tom Williams,” Moore said. “It’s been pretty much very destructive and chaotic for two months, and it seems like JR has the temperament for the job.

“And we’ll see how it works.”

Moore said he voted against promoting Weber to interim county administrator and against the termination of former Lorain County Administrator Tom Williams believing the issues leading up to Oct. 13 were self-inflicted.

He said Weber didn’t have the temperament for the job.

“There was just really no captain on the ship here, and felt it was time to maybe find somebody that’s a little bit more calming that will help correct the last 60 days of of chaos that they’ve had,” Moore said. “The problem is a public,

or you don’t see it, but the employees, you know.

“So, I walked around after the meeting, making sure that the employees were informed right away that there’s a change, and that nothing but positive comments were reported to me by everybody.”

Commissioner Matt Lundy said in making the move, that the board collectively decided to move

in different direction.

Lundy did, however, wish Weber well in his future endeavors.

White, an Elyria attorney and the son of Elyria Municipal Court Robert White, will bring a wealth of experience to Lorain County, he said.

“I believe he’ll bring the strong leadership skills to the position,” Lundy said. “I believe that he is knowledgeable

and will provide stability to the organization as we move forward.

“He’s well respected in the community for his legal work and as a person. And I’m looking forward to working with him.

“These are a lot of important projects that help the county move forward, and looking forward to working with him to accomplish our goals.”

Commissioner Michelle Hung echoed the board stating they were pleased to announce that White had accepted the offer.

Hung thanked Weber for his service to Lorain County and wished him well.

Weber was named interim administrator Aug. 18 following the termination of Williams.

On Jan. 4, Weber was hired as deputy county

administrator, officials said.

On Sept. 20, the Morning Journal reported that Weber was recommended for a one-year stayed suspension of his law license by the Ohio Supreme Court’s Board of Professional Conduct for mishandling payments for clients.

Weber did not immediately return a request for comment.