LUCAS COUNTY, Ohio — Lucas County Auditor Anita Lopez has a new role in county government.
Lopez won the appointment to be the next Lucas County commissioner on Saturday and will complete commissioner Tina Skeldon-Wozniak’s term, which ends in December.
Skeldon-Wozniak retired at the end of 2023.
Lopez was appointed to the position by the Lucas County Democratic Party at a central committee meeting on Saturday morning.
Lopez has held the position of Lucas County Auditor for 16 years and says she will be resigning from that position on Monday.
“This is not something I took lightly I knew that for us to keep the county moving in a positive way, we needed somebody who is very familiar with the county role," said Lopez.
Since the appointment is only for the remainder of Skeldon-Wozniak’s term, Lopez will still need to win the party’s nomination in the March primary election to run as the Democratic Party’s candidate in November.
Former Toledo mayor and current Ohio state Senator Paula Hicks Hudson is also vying for the position.
Lopez's former position will be filled temporarily by Emmanuel Yakumithis, who is currently the Chief of Staff for the county auditor's office. Yakumithis will hold the role for about 30-60 days while the central committee votes on a new auditor.
Toledo City Council person Katie Moline says she will seek the appointment to that seat and run for the office in November; Lopez says she is supporting Moline for the role.
Moline nominated Lopez for the position of commissioner.
Lopez was sworn in as commissioner on Monday, January 8 at 10:30 a.m.
She will join fellow Democrats Pete Gerken and Lisa Sobecki on the Board of County Commissioners.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include new information regarding Yakumithis' appointment as temporary county auditor.
MORE FROM WTOL 11:
Want more from WTOL 11?
➡️ Download the WTOL 11 news app here.
Get a fresh start to your morning and wrap up your day with the latest news and your WTOL11 Weather forecast delivered right to your inbox! WTOL's Your Morning Blast and Your Evening Blast deliver stories from northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and beyond to keep you informed. Click here to get on the list!
Stay up to date on what's happening in your community with a 24/7 live stream and on-demand content from WTOL 11+.
Our free WTOL 11+ apps are available on Roku and Firetv.
WTOL 11+ features the latest breaking news and weather, plus daily talk shows, coverage of your favorite sports teams from Locked On, fact-checking from VERIFY and the latest trending stories from Daily Blast Live.
Looking for the lowest current local gas prices? Check out the WTOL 11 gas price tracker, powered by Gas Buddy, here.
