Most experienced Monroe City Council member to resign

Robert "Bob" Routson, who has served on Monroe City Council for 24 years, announced Tuesday night he was resigning on June 30 for personal reasons. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Robert "Bob" Routson, who has served on Monroe City Council for 24 years, announced Tuesday night he was resigning on June 30 for personal reasons. SUBMITTED PHOTO

The longest tenured member of the Monroe City Council shocked other members at the end of Tuesday night’s meeting when he announced he was resigning, effective June 30.

Robert “Bob” Routson, who has served 24 years on council, said he was resigning for personal reasons. His last council meeting will be June 22.

“Wow,” fellow member Christina McElfresh said after Routson’s announcement.

Mayor Jason Frentzel said Routson’s announcement “took all of us by surprise.”

Routson became a member of council in 1998 and served as mayor from 2004-2019.

Frentzel said Routson has been “a great asset” to the city and its residents .

Frentzel said he’s in contact with the city law director who will advise council how to proceed to find a short-term replacement.

Routson graduated from Lemon-Monroe High School in 1969 and served in the Ohio National Guard from 1970-76.

He was a volunteer firefighter for the Monroe Fire Department from 1969-1993 and a Monroe police officer from 1985-98.

He retired from Worthington Steel after 29 years and works for the Butler County Auditor’s Office. He and his wife of 46 years, Jenny, have six children and 16 grandchildren.

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