By Reid Forgrave
The Cincinnati Enquirer

GREEN TOWNSHIP - Two weeks after Election Day, a trustee is resigning his post, leaving one of the remaining trustees in Ohio's second-largest township with some pointed questions.

Paul Rattermann, a Republican who was appointed a township trustee in January 2001 and subsequently elected that November, said Tuesday he will announce his resignation, effective Nov. 30, at Monday's trustee meeting.

That leaves it up to the remaining two trustees to appoint a successor to finish the remaining two years of his term.

Rattermann recently accepted a job promotion, moving from court administrator to chief magistrate for Hamilton County Probate Judge James Cissell. The Ohio Supreme Court precludes anyone holding the position of magistrate from serving as a township trustee.

Trustee Stephen Grote - who at meetings often disagrees with Rattermann and board President Tony Upton on anything from the township paying $2.4 million for 34 acres of park property to declaring one home a nuisance property - said he smells something fishy. There shouldn't be a resignation so soon after the election, he said.

"If a person dies or moves out of state, I could see the need to appoint someone to the position," said Grote, an independent. "But this is just a matter of rearranging the chess pieces after the November election. It reflects a bigger problem of total one-party arrogance."

Rattermann said the new spot was recently created by a chain of events in the county court system - a retirement in the Appeals Court caused Mark Combs, the chief magistrate at the Probate Court, to leave, and Cissell appointed Rattermann to his chief magistrate position, essentially a judicial officer.

"It was a very trying decision" to accept the position and be forced to step down as trustee, Rattermann said. "I enjoy serving in the grassroots level of government that townships afford. ...

"But I have confidence in the process - that whoever replaces me will do good."

That process could get convoluted. After Rattermann officially resigns next week, the two remaining trustees have 30 days to choose a replacement. That could happen on Dec. 15, at December's only trustee meeting, or at a special meeting trustees may call.

If Upton and Grote cannot come to a consensus, Rattermann's nominating committee - a five-person team of supporters - is given 10 days to name a new trustee. In the event nobody is chosen then, the county probate judge - Rattermann's boss, Cissell - will appoint a trustee.

Grote mentioned several names of possible appointees: Ken Brodbeck and Bob Luckey, who finished second and third to Upton in November; former Trustee Dale Proffitt; Peggy Lopez with the Monfort Heights-White Oak Community Association; and Chuck Mitchell, an attorney.

Upton refused to speculate.

"I won't say that until the choice is made," Upton said.

"It's got to be somebody electable. It's got to be somebody with name recognition who's involved in the community."

In 2005, when Rattermann's former spot and Grote's spot comes up for election, it will be a field race, in which the top two vote-getters are elected.

E-mail rforgrave@enquirer.com