HDAC Appoints Daniel Green to Geauga Public Health Board
Geauga County Health District Advisory Council (HDAC) - March 11, 2026
The HDAC conducted its statutorily mandated Annual Meeting on March 11, 2026 at 7:00 pm at the County Office Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Room 303B, Chardon, OH 44024. This meeting was in person with no virtual attendance or viewing. There was no Agenda
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Jason Sutter at 7:00 pm, and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Seated at the front, facing attendees were President Jason Sutter, Secretary Mike Brown and Geauga Public Health Administrator Adam Litke.
Roll Call: 15 of 21 representatives were in attendance as confirmed later by Mr. Sutter via email.
Present
Auburn Twp - Mike Troyan
Bainbridge Twp - Michael Bates
Burton Twp -Dan Whiting
Chardon Twp - Mike Brown
Chester Twp - Craig Ricter
Claridon Twp - Jonathan Tiber
Commissioner - Carolyn Brakey
Hambden Twp - Dave Johnson
Huntsburg Twp - Jason Sutter
Montville Twp - Patricia Combs
Munson Twp - Jim McCaskey
Newbury Twp - Greg Tropf
Parkman Twp - Joyce Peters
South Russell Village - William Koons
Thompson Twp - Justin Falcone
Absent
Burton Village
Chardon City
Middlefield Township
Middlefield Village
Russell Township
Troy Township
Others in Attendance: Geauga Public Health Board members Lynn Roman, Christine Sutter, and Dr. Mark Hendrickson; Dan Lark, Director of Environmental Health, Allison Wilson, reporter for Geauga Maple Leaf, and this Observer
Minutes - Minutes for the March 12, 2025 meeting were approved
Selection of Geauga Public Health (GPH) Board Members
Background: Under ORC 3709.03, HDAC selects a GPH Board member during its annual March meeting. GPH board members serve five-year, staggered terms with one term expiring each year. One seat was open.
Mr. Litke said that all three candidates were present and that each would have six minutes to present to the Council. HDAC members would then be able to ask up to three questions of each candidate.
Following the presentations, members of the public would have up to one minute each to offer comments or questions.
Candidate Presentations:
Seona Goerndt - Ms. Goerndt said she is a 10 year resident of Geauga County, and she has had a 30-plus year career in healthcare. She currently leads a Behavioral Health and Addiction agency. She said her core values are respect, trust, impact, service and growth. She referenced the GPH Community Health Improvement Plan and was excited to see that Behavioral Health and Addiction were top priorities as were solving language barriers for patients and serving the Amish community. She noted that transportation was another challenge. She acknowledged that environmental health and water health are key aspects and noted that this would be a growth opportunity for her.
Mr. Koons asked what she was proud of in her career. She described implementing a program at MetroHealth to reduce language barriers for Spanish language speakers.
Mrs. Brakey asked how she viewed personal liberty versus public health. Ms. Goerndt said that immunizations help us manage overall health needs. She stated that providing education would be key.
Daniel Green - Mr. Green said he is from Chardon Township. He praised the beauty of Geauga County and said that in his opinion, to keep Geauga beautiful "it takes the right people in the right spots.” He said that living on Thwing he learned a lot about septic. He is a firefighter for the Painesville Township Fire Department. He has had another job as a sales consultant for a fire rescue company.
Mrs. Brakey asked what he learned from COVID about the role of public health. He said that you can, “lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”
Mr. McCaskey of Munson Township asked about Mr. Green’s experience with septic systems. He said he was not certified with inspections and would educate himself further.
There was another question about his views on immunizations. He said that everyone has the right to choose or not to choose immunizations, as that is a “personal right given by God.” He said that the job of public health is to educate so people can make an informed decision.
Lewis Tomsic - Mr. Tomsic said he was born and raised in Geauga County. He said he has been in a family excavating business for 30 years which involved septic pumping. He stated that he has sold the business to his nephew. He is on the Newbury Township Board of Zoning Appeals and said that this experience has helped him to understand how boards work. He is a graduate of Leadership Geauga.
He was asked about his educational background. Mr. Tomsic said he had gone to Ohio University for mechanical engineering, but was ¼ semesters away from graduating when he left school due to a sudden illness of his father to return and help with the family business.
He said that on zoning, he looks at three things: health, safety and general welfare of the township.
He was asked a question about the waterfall sprinkler system, and he said that this was a good option since the other options that people utilize don’t work. He said that some of the newer systems work year round, while others don’t work in the winter.
Mrs. Brakey asked if he would abstain from voting on Board decisions regarding septic due to the family business, and he said that he didn’t think that would be necessary since he is not involved in the business and it is solely under the control of his nephew. He said if he thought there was a conflict he had no problem with abstaining.
He was asked another question about using a perc (percolation) test, and he said that now they have a scientist come out and “do a boring” to determine what type of system is best and where it should be located.
Public Comment - There were no questions from the public
Screening Committee Recommendations
Mr Sutter reported the Screening Committee recommended Daniel Green. The Screening Committee was composed of Jason Sutter, Carolyn Brakey, Joyce Peters, Nate McDonald and Jonathan Tiber
President’s Comments - Mr. Sutter thanked the candidates for participating in the process and the HDAC members for attending and voting.
HDAC Discussion - There was a statement that all three candidates were excellent.
Vote: Council members voted for the candidates as follows:
Seona Goerndt - 2 votes (Mike Bates, Patricia Combs)
Daniel Green - 7 votes (Mike Brown, Craig Ricter, Jonathan Tiber, Carolyn Brakey, Jason Sutter, Joyce
Peters, Justin Falcone)
Lewis Tomsic - 5 votes (Mike Troyan, Dan Whiting, Jim McCaskey, Greg Tropf, Bill Koons)
Election of 2026/2027 HDAC Officers - The council voted unanimously to elect Carolyn Brakey as President and Mr. Brown as Secretary.
Remarks by Mr. Litke: Mr. Litke introduced the members of the Geauga Public Health Board who were present. He also said that if they didn’t have levy funds, GPH’s work would have to be paid for by the subdivisions (townships, villages and City of Chardon) and then the County Commissioners. He said that levy funds are used for the nursing program, nuisance complaints, TB programs, rabies treatment and for the purchase and maintenance of vehicles.
Presentation of GPH Budget - Mr. Litke asked Finance Director Katie Taylor to present a summary of the 2026 budget, stating that both revenues and expenses were similar to the previous year. There were no questions and there was no discussion about the budget.
Ms. Taylor mentioned the program on property tax reform being cohosted by the Auditor’s Office, the League of Women Voters of Geauga, and the Geauga County Library will have one last session in Middlefield. Reviewer Note: This property tax education session will be April 7 at 7:00 pm at the Middlefield Library. The session is free, but registration is required. Register to attend at the following link: April 7 Middlefield Library Event Registration.
Mr. Litke said that the cross-jurisdictional agreement with Lake County had saved them about $500,000 in salary expenses. He also said that their Operation and Maintenance program had the lowest fees in the State and concluded that, “we’ve cut everything we can.”
Ms. Combs asked if Mr. Litke could put together something “that would indicate to the Amish what they would lose if property taxes were abolished.” He said that he could do that.
Announcements - Mr. Tiber, who is the President of the Geauga Township Association, announced that there was one additional property tax program being hosted by LWVGeauga, the Library and the Auditor that would be held at the Middlefield Library on April 7 at 7:00 pm. Observer Note: Register for this free program at the link in the Reviewer Note above.
Mr. Tiber also announced that there would be a session for new township trustees to be held on March 18 at 6:30 pm. He said there were 13 new trustees and this would give them a chance to meet and greet those in county government. He invited members of the Geauga Public Health Board and Mrs. Brakey to attend.
Mr. Litke talked about hoarding complaints and the difficulties they have experienced investigating and taking action in these cases. He said they work with other agencies and departments. He said they get concerned in the most serious cases. He said they are putting together guidelines for the Board to help guide what they should be doing.
There was a question about where a township might get funds to demolish a house. Mrs. Brakey said that Community and Economic Development has a program, but it was noted that the homeowner had to participate in the process.
Adjournment - The meeting was adjourned at 8:06 pm
Observer: Gail Roussey
Editor: Harry Rees
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Date Submitted: March 16, 2026
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