Village elder

Not everyone would say they like government.
But that’s what kept Rod Thobe returning to Fort Recovery Village Council for nearly 36 years.
“I’ve always been interested in government,” he said. “In school, I liked it. Not particularly politics, but government, how it operates.”
So when a seat on council opened when Rich Miller left, Thobe voiced his interest and was appointed. And since February 1980, he has remained on council.
He’s stopping now not because he has lost interest or enjoyment, but because it means he’ll get a better retirement package.
It’s the same for Mayor Roger Broerman, who is also retiring at the end of this year.
Thobe still likes all the parts of his job: interacting with people, listening to all sides and considering the effects a decision might have years down the road.
For example, until 1984, Fort Recovery didn’t have an income tax. When the village was considering implementing one, “we had several meetings and people voiced their concerns,” Thobe said.
Some residents had questions about how it would work; others just didn’t like taxes. But the tax was a necessity.
“It’s been a great benefit for the town,” Thobe said.
Now Fort Recovery has money for street projects every year and can pay its matching share for grants it receives.
“Years back, they used to pay like 90 percent,” Thobe said of agencies awarding grants. Now it’s often 50 percent, and without an income tax the village wouldn’t have the funds to pay its half.
Thobe’s longevity on council was a benefit to Randy Diller when he came in as the first village administrator in 1995.
“He was invaluable, being able to establish a lot of the background for what’s been done and why it’s been done,” Diller said.
Thobe has been around for construction of a new water treatment plant, sewer separation, industrial expansion, the completion of one community survey and plan and the beginning of another, along with smaller projects each year.
Becoming council president in 1992, Thobe has held that role the entire time Diller has had his job.
“You hate to have to lose him the way we did, with it being a benefit issue,” Diller said.
He attributes Thobe’s repeated elections to council to the way he approached his job: he worked hard behind the scenes, getting things done and not drawing attention to himself.
“People knew that Rod’s very level headed, has a great view of common sense,” Diller said.
Thobe also served as the village’s representative for the Southwest Mercer Fire District, which covers the village as well as Washington, Recovery and Gibson townships.
He’d been a firefighter for the district for 14 years, so he had an understanding of what the department needed. That experience wasn’t mandatory, he said, but it helped.
A Fort Recovery High School graduate, Thobe served three years in the Navy on an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War before returning home and purchasing a grocery store, which became Thobe’s Carry Out. A few sales and name changes later, it’s Thobe’s Carry Out again, now owned and operated by his son Shawn and daughter-in-law Kristi.
His firefighting career overlapped with the beginning of his council years, but with so many commitments, he had to give it up. He was working as an electrician at Portland Forge, where he retired after 40 years. And for 25 years he had a side job taking wedding photos.
Whatever else Thobe was doing, he was constant in his involvement in the village. Being involved was something he felt was important for everyone, Diller said.
“He obviously was the epitome of that,” Diller said.
Thobe’s advice for future council members is to keep an open mind when citizens approach with questions or complaints.
Sometimes a request can be accommodated; other times the law or the circumstances may not allow a resident to get their way. But listening is important regardless.
“Try to look from their point of view,” he said. “Sometimes they have some very valid points you didn’t think of.”