HUBBARD TOWNSHIP — Trustee Rick Hernandez submitted his resignation to township officials Monday morning.

Hernandez, a Republican who served as a trustee since 2017 and was elected as one of Trumbull County’s newest commissioners after defeating Democrat Dan Polivka in November’s election, noted everyone he had the pleasure of working with over the past seven years in the letter penned to Trustee Bill Colletta.

“I have enjoyed working with you, Trustee Colletta and past Trustees Fred Hanley and Tom Jacobs, as well as Fiscal Officers Sue Goterba and Jennifer Evans during my seven-year tenure as Township trustee,” Hernandez wrote. “I have been equally honored to represent the trustees as the trustee representative on the Eagle Joint Fire District Board of Trustees for the seven-year period and as current chairman of the board.”

Hernandez later reminisced on some of the challenges he overcame as a trustee, recalling the state of the police department and fire district in past years.

“When I was put in charge of the Hubbard Township Police Department, they were out of money; they were absolutely on their way to being turned over to the sheriff’s department and I came in late to that. I didn’t even know that, but it kind of got dropped into my lap,” Hernandez said in a later comment. “I’m proud to see where we are today in all the years of negotiations with the department and the contract I was able to negotiate one-on-one with them and it got us to a $2 million carryover in our police fund budget this year.”

Hernandez commended members of the Eagle Joint Fire District’s board for their efforts in making it into a full-time fire service, as its members spent a lot of time away from families and attended tons of meetings to oversee and ensure its improvement, he said.

Hernandez’s resignation is effective Jan. 3, 2025.

Colletta said officials have set up interviews with the six candidates vying to replace him, which will be done in a special meeting at an unknown date.

Colletta said they were prepared for his departure after his win and because it’s so close to the end of the year, they’ll be able to function normally.

Colletta said they’ll enter next year with just himself and Jason Tedrow conducting business. They should have a replacement by February, he added.