CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The two people at the center of a community wide division have broken their silence.
Dr. John Gabis and Ceil Corcoran are names you might have heard recently. Both were nominated by Chillicothe Mayor Luke Fenney to sit on the community health board. Their appointments had to go before city council and last week, a Republican-controlled majority shot down the names.
Democrats were quick to call political foul, while the GOP danced on their stance. Some conservative council members publicly stated they voted no due to Gabis’ alleged political views, while others said that their reasoning was due to a flaw in the process.
According to at least three council members, they were disappointed and felt blindsided by the appointments made by Feeney, saying they had no discussion on the matter prior to a vote. The Democratic council members said that they felt the mayor’s appointments had already been vetted; Gabis and Corcoran are both longtime veterans of the board.
Many people took to the podium at Monday evening’s regular council meeting in a referendum against the vote. Questions were asked, fingers were pointed, and tears flowed.
“I want to thank those who attended last night’s city council meeting and spoke on my behalf as well as Ceil Corcoran,” said Gabis on Tuesday. “We both want to serve our community. That’s it. If there are differences, let’s discuss them and learn from each other and find a common path to follow that lifts up our communities.”
When reached by phone on Tuesday, Corcoran echoed the sentiment. She said she was called upon by the mayor to serve and she felt she had a duty. She also said her previous tenure as a member qualified her, along with her decades of public service on various boards and organizations, including being a former city council woman.
Gabis, on the other hand, is a longtime physician in Ross County, a former county coroner of 25 years, and currently leads a chief medical position at the local hospital.
When it all ended, the mayor said he would nominate the names again and give council another chance. That is expected in the coming weeks.
