New Supervisor Sought For Branch County’s Ovid Township

Ovid Township in South Central Branch County is facing a dilemma of sorts. And something of a disruption. The Township Supervisor has resigned. The Township Board just accepted that move by former Supervisor Greg Gemmill to step down from his position. The Township has the position posted on its website, along with a detailed listing of the primary responsibilities of the job.

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And it’s all over the reaction to a township resident posting a sign, clearly, if not profanely,  critical of President Joe Biden.  It’s not the first time someone has done that directed at any President going back some time. This issue became how it was handled by the township. Then Supervisor Gemmill somehow reached a decision not to go through normal township channels to deal with the sign and the resident who put it up for all to see. Instead, he contacted a regional television media outlet.

And from there, things kind of fell apart.  The Daily Reporter notes there apparently had been some back and forth involving township leaders once the media coverage began.  The Reporter’s coverage indicating there have been some testy moments involving township leaders. And that’s to say nothing of the exchange between the sign owner, and former Supervisor Gemmill at a recent township board meeting.

So now with several major issues facing the township, residents are hoping for new and solid leadership.  A huge solar power generating development is being proposed for the township. It's something that could mean increased tax revenue for the township, and a solid long-term new business that is already investing in community programs.  The other big issue in Ovid is a threatened lawsuit dealing with zoning laws enacted by the township to manage the sale and production of recreational and commercial marijuana.

The township hopes to have a new Supervisor on the job by this time next month to help lead the way, and according to some trustees, follow township guidelines when dealing with testy issues like profane political signs.