Under state law, the county’s common pleas judges must select commissioners from a list of recommended candidates compiled by area veterans chapters, including the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and AMVETS. This year, it was the American Legion’s turn to recommend names.
Patricia Oney, the presiding common pleas judge, picked Jeffers from a field of six candidates from the Hamilton and West Chester Twp. American Legion posts. The Middletown post’s submission was disqualified because members nominated Stamper, who was not a post member at the time he was recommended. Oney said the Middletown post informed her they wouldn’t be sending any more names.
There has been turmoil on the commission for almost two years, and while Oney said things have gotten better, she believes Jeffers will be a calming influence on the board. She said the decision was hard and she even interviewed a few people twice.
“I was impressed by everybody; everybody had different ideas and things and were dedicated to it,” she said. “We had little disagreements in the past, and sometimes they lost sight of they were there to help veterans. It just seemed like he is a person who can help people reach a majority opinion and was very concerned about it… What I was looking for was somebody who is energetic, innovative and could get along with the others.”
At one point, Stamper and commissioners Ken Smith and Lowell Stewart were pitted against Commissioner Bob Perry and former board president Dan Biondo on many issues, including firing the former executive director Curt McPherson.
Fred Southard, who was appointed over Biondo last year, and Perry have now often been on the same page opposite the McPherson supporters. Since McPherson abruptly retired last February, the tension that was palpable at the monthly board meetings has all but vanished.
Jeffers, 65, is a retired terminal manager for Rush Transportation and Air Force veteran who has been a member of Hamilton post for 24 years. He now is working part-time for a wholesale floors company as a driver.
He said when he read in the Journal-News that a 2-2 tie vote was feared because of the board vacancy, he couldn’t believe it. The past “disarray” on the vet board drew him to apply for the job.
“How can it be 2-2, you don’t even know what you’re voting on…,” he said. “One of my ideas is working together, let’s listen and work together and accomplish our mission. I think that’s the biggest thing we need to bring, we need to get on the same board.”
Jeffers said he also wants to get the word out about the commission to veterans and their families. He said dispelling the notion that the commission is affiliated with the VA could go a long way toward drawing more veterans to the agency for help.
“We’re not in the VA, you’re not going to have to go through a hundred million things to get in a door,” he said.
At their last meeting the commissioners all agreed, for the first time, to spend $5,000 to $7,000 on a marketing plan that will be drawn up by students at Miami University, so they can reach more veterans.
The process of getting to the Jeffers appointment has been protracted for a number of reasons. The judges voted 7-5 to reappoint Stamper in December, but when the Hamilton post complained he wasn’t “recommended” a do-over was ordered.
Oney sent a letter to the three American Legion Posts posts in September. In the notifications, Oney left out the requirement that each post was to send in three names — no more and no less — for consideration in accordance with the law.
After she received four names — Stamper turned in his own application — and no formal recommendation from Hamilton and two from West Chester, she rescinded Stamper’s reappointment and ordered the do-over.
In the second nominating round, Hamilton Post 138 nominated Jeffers, Jude Haslinger and Bill Harvey. West Chester sent in George F. Nafziger, Jerry K Nelson and Lee Wong as their picks.
Middletown post officials nominated John Walker, William May, who later withdrew his name; and Stamper, who Oney disqualified because he was not a member of the post at the time of recommendation.
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