Commissioner Tom Horst to be honored Dec. 30 for public-service career
Lead Summary
By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
After a 40-year career in public service that spanned all or parts of the past five decades, outgoing Highland County Commissioner Tom Horst will be honored during a “roast and toast” hosted by his wife, Maggi Horst, and Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss Dec. 30 in the Highland County Common Pleas Courtroom from 2-4 p.m.
The public is invited to the Dec 30 event to wish Commissioner Horst all the best and thank him for his service to Highland County.
Horst’s 40-plus years of public service started in the mid-1970s when he began driving a school bus for the Lynchburg-Clay Local School District.
In September 1976, Horst was hired as a Lynchburg police officer, working with former Chief Windy Shaffer.
After a few years working in Lynchburg, former Hillsboro police officer Jack Stethem suggested that Horst pursue a law enforcement career at the HPD.
“Jack Stethem came down to pick up a guy on a bad check charge,” Horst said. “He asked me, ‘Why don’t you become a Hillsboro police officer? Jack got me an application, and I took the civil service exam.”
In April 1978, Horst began a decade of service to the Hillsboro Police Department, where he was hired as a patrolman. Horst recalls working alongside such officers as Tom Dougherty, Ken Cumberland, Nick Thompson, Steve Conrad, George McCord, Mike Lengefeld, Doug Trout and police chief Bill Woolard.
“How I actually got into law enforcement is ironic,” Horst said during a Dec. 22 interview at The Highland County Press.
“Back in October 1975, I was engaged in farming and I had a car vandalized,” Horst said. “I called the Highland County Sheriff’s Office, and a deputy came out. It took two days for a deputy to get there, and I said ‘it’s a good thing it wasn’t something more serious.’
“The deputy said something like ‘If you don’t like it, why don’t you run for sheriff?’
“So in the May 1976 primary, I ran as a Republican for Highland County sheriff.”
Horst lost in the GOP primary – the only election he lost – and Hugh Rogers eventually won the election that year, but Horst was later elected Highland County sheriff in 1988 and was re-elected in 1992 and again in 1996.
In a little over 10 years as sheriff, Horst worked on the early discussions for the Highland County Justice Center and a possible tri-county detention facility with Clinton, Fayette and Highland counties. After the tri-county negotiations fell through, Highland County opened the current Justice Center in 2001.
Horst stepped down as sheriff in 1999, during his third term, after being hired by then-Ohio attorney general Betty Montgomery to work for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation. Deputy Ron Ward was appointed as his replacement by the local GOP central committee.
“Being sheriff was the best job I ever had, bar none,” Horst said. “But I saw an opportunity for my family. Betty was looking for a county sheriff, who could work with the 88 counties. I was due to be president of the Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association in 2000, but left for BCI. Maggi was working for George Voinovich and Mike DeWine, and it was a good move for us at that time.”
Horst worked for the attorney general’s office from 1999 until 2004, when his family moved back to Highland County. Horst served as a liaison for 22 counties in southwest Ohio for the Ohio Department of Public Safety under Governor Bob Taft until Ted Strickland was elected governor. Horst then worked for a year training officers for the Ross County Sheriff’s Office.
In 2008, Horst ran for Highland County commissioner for the first time. After serving two terms as county commissioner following general election victories in 2008 and 2012, Horst decided not to run for a third term in 2016.
Horst said it has been a privilege to serve Highland County and thanked his fellow commissioners, including current commissioners Shane Wilkin and Jeff Duncan, and former commissioners Gary Heaton and Jeremy Shaffer.
“We (Horst, Heaton and Wilkin) served during some trying times, lean times, after the 2009 economic meltdown,” Horst said. “We were down to less than $8,000 in the General Fund in 2009 early on. A lot of people don’t remember that and the cuts we had to make.”
As he retires from the county commission, Horst said that he will be stepping down from a number of boards, including Highland County Community Action, but plans to continue working with the Highland County Visitors Bureau.
“I want to help make Highland County a destination, with Rocky Fork Lake improvements tying in with the CVB,” Horst said.
“The community’s been supportive,” Horst said. “I’d like to thank the community for always being good to us, Maggi and me.
“I’m proud to have served the people of Highland County. It’s humbling to know people had this much trust in me. It’s been a pleasure to work with all the people in Highland County and all the law enforcement officers, paramedics and firefighters.
“I’ve met a lot of good people over the years,” he said. “I also saw the other side of the coin – the bad stuff – but there’s always been a lot more good than bad in Highland County.”
Horst thanked Judge Coss for the use of the courtroom for his Dec. 30 reception.
The public is invited to the Dec 30 event to wish Commissioner Horst all the best and thank him for his service to Highland County.
Horst’s 40-plus years of public service started in the mid-1970s when he began driving a school bus for the Lynchburg-Clay Local School District.
In September 1976, Horst was hired as a Lynchburg police officer, working with former Chief Windy Shaffer.
After a few years working in Lynchburg, former Hillsboro police officer Jack Stethem suggested that Horst pursue a law enforcement career at the HPD.
“Jack Stethem came down to pick up a guy on a bad check charge,” Horst said. “He asked me, ‘Why don’t you become a Hillsboro police officer? Jack got me an application, and I took the civil service exam.”
In April 1978, Horst began a decade of service to the Hillsboro Police Department, where he was hired as a patrolman. Horst recalls working alongside such officers as Tom Dougherty, Ken Cumberland, Nick Thompson, Steve Conrad, George McCord, Mike Lengefeld, Doug Trout and police chief Bill Woolard.
“How I actually got into law enforcement is ironic,” Horst said during a Dec. 22 interview at The Highland County Press.
“Back in October 1975, I was engaged in farming and I had a car vandalized,” Horst said. “I called the Highland County Sheriff’s Office, and a deputy came out. It took two days for a deputy to get there, and I said ‘it’s a good thing it wasn’t something more serious.’
“The deputy said something like ‘If you don’t like it, why don’t you run for sheriff?’
“So in the May 1976 primary, I ran as a Republican for Highland County sheriff.”
Horst lost in the GOP primary – the only election he lost – and Hugh Rogers eventually won the election that year, but Horst was later elected Highland County sheriff in 1988 and was re-elected in 1992 and again in 1996.
In a little over 10 years as sheriff, Horst worked on the early discussions for the Highland County Justice Center and a possible tri-county detention facility with Clinton, Fayette and Highland counties. After the tri-county negotiations fell through, Highland County opened the current Justice Center in 2001.
Horst stepped down as sheriff in 1999, during his third term, after being hired by then-Ohio attorney general Betty Montgomery to work for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation. Deputy Ron Ward was appointed as his replacement by the local GOP central committee.
“Being sheriff was the best job I ever had, bar none,” Horst said. “But I saw an opportunity for my family. Betty was looking for a county sheriff, who could work with the 88 counties. I was due to be president of the Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association in 2000, but left for BCI. Maggi was working for George Voinovich and Mike DeWine, and it was a good move for us at that time.”
Horst worked for the attorney general’s office from 1999 until 2004, when his family moved back to Highland County. Horst served as a liaison for 22 counties in southwest Ohio for the Ohio Department of Public Safety under Governor Bob Taft until Ted Strickland was elected governor. Horst then worked for a year training officers for the Ross County Sheriff’s Office.
In 2008, Horst ran for Highland County commissioner for the first time. After serving two terms as county commissioner following general election victories in 2008 and 2012, Horst decided not to run for a third term in 2016.
Horst said it has been a privilege to serve Highland County and thanked his fellow commissioners, including current commissioners Shane Wilkin and Jeff Duncan, and former commissioners Gary Heaton and Jeremy Shaffer.
“We (Horst, Heaton and Wilkin) served during some trying times, lean times, after the 2009 economic meltdown,” Horst said. “We were down to less than $8,000 in the General Fund in 2009 early on. A lot of people don’t remember that and the cuts we had to make.”
As he retires from the county commission, Horst said that he will be stepping down from a number of boards, including Highland County Community Action, but plans to continue working with the Highland County Visitors Bureau.
“I want to help make Highland County a destination, with Rocky Fork Lake improvements tying in with the CVB,” Horst said.
“The community’s been supportive,” Horst said. “I’d like to thank the community for always being good to us, Maggi and me.
“I’m proud to have served the people of Highland County. It’s humbling to know people had this much trust in me. It’s been a pleasure to work with all the people in Highland County and all the law enforcement officers, paramedics and firefighters.
“I’ve met a lot of good people over the years,” he said. “I also saw the other side of the coin – the bad stuff – but there’s always been a lot more good than bad in Highland County.”
Horst thanked Judge Coss for the use of the courtroom for his Dec. 30 reception.