His unexpired term ends on Dec. 31, 2025.
Council is expected to convene in executive session during Tuesday’s meeting and vote on his replacement, Funk said.
The three candidates are: William “Todd” Hickman, Jay Marlow and Matthew Wackler. All three submitted letters of interest and resumes to the clerk of council and were interviewed by council members in executive sessions.
Hickman, who has lived in the city for 32 years, served on council for 12 years from 2010 to 2021.
“I would be honored to again contribute my experience, leadership, and commitment to advancing the priorities of our city,” he wrote in his letter. “Rejoining council would allow me to continue that service, drawing on both past experience and fresh perspective.”
Marlow has lived in the city for 20 years and is a parent of three Monroe High School graduates.
“I have a deep-rooted commitment to the community and a strong desire to contribute to its continued growth and success,” he wrote. “I believe my experience in governance, employment law, and relationship management, combined with my passion for civic involvement, would make me a valuable asset to the city council.”
He serves as a senior human resources business partner at Worthington Industries in Monroe, where he has worked for 15 years.
He also serves as vice president of the Board of Trustees for the MidPointe Library System in Butler County.
Wackler said he’s a lifelong Monroe resident who is “deeply invested in the future of our community and eager for the opportunity to give back to the city that shaped me.”
He serves as a program manager at the Cystic Fibrosis Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He leads initiatives that require strategic planning, cross-functional collaboration, and data-driven decision-making, he wrote.
Centers, who served as the city’s fire chief for 11 years, retired as chief two years ago after 33 years with the city of Monroe Division of Fire.
In 2023, Centers was appointed a new member to fill the vacated seat formerly held by Marc Bellapianta, who submitted his resignation effective Sept. 1, according to city documents.
Centers, 58, has had two heart attacks, the first when he responded to a serious car crash at Ohio 63 and Main Street in 2008, the second that required quadruple bypass surgery during a 2021 family vacation in Florida.
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