The mayor of the village of Batavia resigned Sept. 28, around a year and a half before his term was set to expire.
C. Scott Runck informed village staff earlier on Sept. 28 that he was resigning effective noon that day. The Clermont County village is home to around 2,800 people.
Runck, who started as mayor in January 2024, previously served on the Batavia Village Council and Batavia Local School District Board. He narrowly ousted longtime Batavia Mayor John Thebout by 11 votes in the November 2023 election.
During his tenure as mayor of the Clermont County seat, Runck worked to develop the village's riverwalk, build new residential developments and bring a Casey's convenience store to Batavia, according to a Sept. 28 village release. The past several
years have also been marked by disputes over high-density housing and developer tax breaks, which sparked an attempt to dissolve the village this year.
"Serving this community has been one of the greatest honors of my life," Runck said in the village press release. "I am deeply grateful to the residents of Batavia for allowing me to serve and for entrusting me with the responsibility of helping lead our village."
Village Administrator Chip Stewart told The Enquirer that village staff speculated that Runck might step down after he retired from his role as managing director of Moore Family Funeral Homes, LLC earlier this year. Stewart said Runck is simply retiring from work.
New mayor sworn in
Vice Mayor and village councilmember Steve Staton was sworn in as Runck's replacement shortly after the resignation.
In a letter to the public, Staton listed several priorities for his time as mayor, including providing fire and emergency services to residents "without interruption" and moving the Batavia Union Cemetery to "direct Village oversight." He also addressed concerns about development in Batavia, writing that "Growth is coming, and we will be open about it."
"When proposals come forward, you will hear them from the Village, with the facts, in public meetings, before decisions are made," he said in the letter. "Council has already adopted principles for how we evaluate development, and those principles, along with what is best for the people who live here, will guide us."
This leaves the Staton's previous role of vice mayor and his seat on council vacant.
Stewart said the council will likely select a new vice mayor during its meeting Oct. 13. The council is also responsible for appointing a replacement to fill Staton's seat, and Stewart said more information will become available in the future.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Batavia mayor resigns effective immediately
