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Mercer County Commissioner Jerry Laffin sits for a picture in commissioners office on the second floor of the Central Services Building in Celina.
CELINA - For nearly 45 years, Mercer County Commissioner Jerry Laffin has championed the area's strong agricultural heritage while at once ushering in a new era of modernization.
An era will come to an end when Laffin officially retires on Dec. 31. The public will have the opportunity to bid Laffin farewell at an open house set for 1:30-5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the courthouse auditorium.
"Jerry is the longest serving county commissioner to ever serve in the state of Ohio. Quite an accomplishment," said Mercer County Republican Chairman Bob Hibner in a statement to the newspaper.
Laffin's accomplishments are manifold, from helping establish a rural sanitary sewer system to securing tax credits and authorizing the installation of infrastructure to seal the deal with the likes of Celina Aluminum Precision Technology and Ferguson.
The growth in manufacturing and industry under Laffin's storied tenure had a considerable impact on the local standard of living. Since Jan. 2, 1981, when Laffin took office, the county's population has grown from about 38,000 to just above 42,000 and the average annual household income from $38,000 to $73,000, longtime county Republican member Toni Slusser pointed out.
Laffin, a lifelong farmer, veteran, family man, singer at weddings and funerals, dedicated member of the Unity Grange and local Republican stalwart, will soon leave office knowing he's made Mercer County a better place for all who call it home.
Jerry Laffin sprays water on a strainer full of fresh strawberries as he and other workers prepare for the Ponoma Strawberry Festival in 2008.
"We've been fortunate. We've grown in almost every area," Laffin said.
Through it all, Laffin has governed in a fiscally conservative manner to balance the county's budget while providing necessary resources. But he wasn't above compromising - or horse-trading, as he likes to call it - with his fellow commissioners or other officeholders, including those of the opposite party, to deliver what he felt was necessary for growth or what was in the best interest of the county.
Hibner said Laffin is an effective communicator who was able to resolve complex issues with fairness and integrity.
"He would readily evaluate all sides of an issue, research for solutions and then take decisive actions that brought everyone together," Hibner said. "Commissioner Jerry Laffin has been an excellent leader the last half century and he has helped make Mercer County a great place to live, work and play."
In an interview with The Daily Standard, Laffin recalled a few nuggets of wisdom imparted to him by his uncle, Dwight Laffin, the man who first convinced him to run for public office.
"Before I took office, he says, 'Jerry, I want to tell you something. I don't know whether you've got any enemies or not. But I want to tell you what: If you do … remember he is a citizen of this county, so when he comes through that doorway, that stops,'" Laffin said. "'The other thing is: Remember, there's Democrats who voted for you the same as Republicans.'"
When Laffin first took office in 1981, he and the county coroner were the only Republicans in county government. Today, Republicans hold every county office.
Laffin said he accepted his uncle's advice, which has served him well. He also expounded on the importance of local government to everyday life.
"Your county government is the most important government there is," he noted. "You've got to understand we as commissioners maybe do put on taxes or we do raise more taxes or we spend money here. … Your money is going to operate this county and you've got to have people, you've got to have equipment and you've got to have funds."
Laffin's stretch as county commissioner is legendary. In fact, he's the longest-serving county commissioner in Ohio history, a feat that was recognized by the County Commissioners Association of Ohio when it awarded him the Decades of Dedication award in December 2023.
Laffin received a standing ovation upon being named the Mercer County Republican of the Year during the party's Reagan Day Dinner at Romer's Catering in St. Henry in May 2023.
Touching on some of his greatest challenges and accomplishments, Laffin pointed to an economic moratorium imposed by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency almost a decade before becoming commissioner.
In 1972, the Ohio EPA mandated a building ban on one mile of Grand Lake because of water pollution caused by septic systems, Laffin said. The problem persisted through the next decade until county commissioners eventually were able to put a treatment plant into operation in 1986, ending the EPA edict, he said.
Laffin also pointed to the creation of an economic development office and the subsequent revolving loan fund in 1986. The low-interest loans can be used to buy fixed assets such as land, buildings, machinery and equipment and as working capital to expand an existing or start-up business.
Except for local infrastructure needs, the loans are repaid to the fund with interest to provide funding for future loans.
"Casa Rodriguez was the first revolving loan. The restaurant at that time was on the east side of Main (Street)," Laffin noted.
Since then, more than $19.5 million in loans have been awarded to local start-ups or existing businesses, resulting in the creation or retention of 1,948 jobs, Laffin said.
"We've got a lot of mom-and-pop (businesses) out here that were started in an abandoned chicken house or in a garage or in the basement of somebody's home and they've outgrown it," Laffin said.
Perhaps best exemplifying the meteoric rise from tiny start-up to global powerhouse is Celina Tent, according to Laffin.
Celina Tent today manufactures and distributes tents, shelters, tarpaulin, ducting and military vehicle accessories worldwide. Its products are used in government, military, rental and hospitality industries.
"(Celina Tent President Jeff Grieshop) started making tents in his dad's and mom's garage out here off of Fleetfoot Road, and you see what happened after that," Laffin pointed out.
Mercer County consistently ranks as having the lowest unemployment rate in the state and "our workforce remains as one of our greatest assets," Hibner said about the importance of the revolving loan fund.
Jerry Laffin, serving as the Unity Grange master in 2012, prepares coffee to serve in the group's food stand at the Mercer County Fair.
Laffin and his wife, Nancy, have been married for 65 years. They have three children, 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
He graduated from Celina High School in 1956. His time in FFA was a pivotal experience in which he learned parliamentary procedures, public speaking and leadership skills, he said.
He was elected state FFA vice president and was chosen to serve as one of two head ushers at the national FFA convention.
Laffin also served in the U.S. Army from November 1961 to November 1963. He was stationed at Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and was named company clerk.
In addition to farming, Laffin worked for a decade at the company now known as Stoneco, a supplier of construction aggregates and asphalt materials.
He was defeated in his first political race, trying to replace his retiring uncle, Dwight Laffin, as county clerk of courts. Undeterred, Laffin turned his attention to another position. He successfully ran for Washington Township trustee, a position he held for three years.
Prompted by numerous trustees, Laffin later mounted a run for an open county commissioner seat.
He has been chairman of the Mercer County Emergency Planning Committee and Ten County Ohio Resource Conservation and Development Council.
Additionally, Laffin's been a member of the State of Ohio Resource Conservation and Development Association, National Association of RC&D Councils Board of Directors, Mercer County Farm Bureau, Mercer County Farmers Union, St. Paul's Lutheran Church Washington Township and St. Paul's Lutheran Church Council.
Laffin has also served as president of the North Central Resource Conservation and Development Region, a seven state region; treasurer of the National Association of RC&D Councils; secretary-treasurer of the Mercer County CIC; and master/president of the Unity Grange.
