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Newly appointed Mercer County Auditor Jeff Larmore takes his oath of office from Ohio Auditor Keith Faber, R-Celina on Monday night. The Mercer County Republican Party Central Commitee unanimously voted for Larmore to fill position after Randy Grapner resigned at the end of the year with two year remaining on his term.
CELINA - A former Celina city councilman with a heap of experience in the public and private sectors was selected to fill out retired Mercer County Auditor Randy Grapner's unexpired term, a period of a little more than two years.
The Mercer County Republican Party Central Commitee, consisting of about 30 members, on Monday night unanimously voted for Jeff Larmore to take over the reins as county auditor.
The all-Republican board of Mercer County Commissioners on Dec. 31 moved to appoint Larmore as the acting county auditor until the county party determined a full-time successor, which ended up being the same man.
Larmore was chosen from a pool of four candidates, Mercer County Republican Party Chairman Bob Hibner told The Daily Standard. The candidates were vetted and interviewed by the party's enhancement committee.
Though they were all "excellent candidates," Larmore's combination of private and public experience made him stand out from the pack, according to Hibner.
"We're in sync with the county commissioners, and we think Jeff will do a great job," Hibner said.
Larmore is vice president of Lake Contracting of Celina, a second-generation family-owned business specializing in heating, air conditioning, plumbing, electrical work and home generators.
Additionally, Larmore served on the Celina City Council from Jan. 1, 2008, to Dec. 31, 2019.
Ohio Auditor Keith Faber, R-Celina, administered the oath of office to Larmore at the party's meeting on Monday night.
"Those type of positions like the auditor and the treasurer, you want seasoned people in there who have either got a good business sense or worked with numbers," Larmore told The Daily Standard, citing his experience running Lake Contract since 1989 and serving on city council.
Prior to taking over as acting county auditor, Larmore said he met with Grapner numerous times to get an overview of the main duties and responsibilities of the office.
He's been on the job eight days already, learning about the processes and the office's divisions - budgetary, weights and measures, real estate, tax mapping and information technology.
"Going to the county was a lot easier transition for me other than they've got bigger numbers over there. The budget is bigger versus the city of Celina," he said, noting he's picking up quickly on the work and already looking at budgets set for 2025.
Larmore said he's also familiarized himself with auditor's office personnel and Mercer County Treasurer Dave Wolters, whom he will often work in tandem with when dealing with property valuations and real estate taxes.
"Dave Wolters and I have been working really good together, and everybody has to click because we all affect one another," he said. "I just went in there just like I did on council, and I learned what everybody was doing, and I pretty much got that underneath my belt."
Larmore, 66, said he will eventually phase himself out at Lake Contracting, giving him even more time to spend at the auditor's office. He said he informed the party he would commit to the minimum two-year unexpired term as well as to running for a full four-year term.
Grapner retired from office at the end of 2024, ending a 13-year stretch as the county's chief fiscal officer. He had remarked that his eventual replacement would find the office, staff and processes in tip-top shape.
"I've been able to update the offices. I've been able to replace retiring employees with excellent quality employees. We are up-to-date in software, hardware, lighting in the offices," Grapner said.
