Rod Garnett
Hilliard’s former police chief started his eighth year as treasurer of the Hilliard Ohio Historical Society this month. Rod Garnett wasn’t yet a member when board member Tim Woodruff recruited him for the position in 2015. “I’ve known Tim for a long time and he asked me to do it,” said Rod.
His interest in history leans more toward the Civil War than that of Hilliard in the late 1800s/early 1900s, but his background includes extensive experience and education in finance.
What he enjoys most about overseeing the budget is “being able to make sure that the society is financially stable and has good reporting practices.”
Rod reported at the society’s August membership meeting that the society is indeed on stable financial footing. It is securely in the black and budgets $41,100 for general operations. There is $8,841 in the special projects fund.
Rod enjoys the job of society treasurer. “I have a system. I have paperwork I have to submit to be reimbursed and invoices that need to be paid,” he said.
Good financial news also comes from the city of Hilliard. “We are in the third or fourth year of getting direct grants from Hilliard to help operate the village and society,” Rod said.
Rod is retired after 35 years as a Hilliard police officer – for 24 of those years he was chief. He served as manager of the Franklin County Fairgrounds for six years after he retired from the police force. For some 15 years he has served as treasurer of the Hilliard Kiwanis Club where he is a 40-year member.
“I managed a budget of over $7 million with the police and I have a Bachelor’s Degree in public safety and management from Franklin University, and a Master’s in Criminal Justice Administration from Tiffin University – and that degree had a primary focus on budget and finance. Plus as chief I had to do budgeting and process invoices,” he said.
Though he’s the money man, Rod says the society’s best asset is its members.
“The best asset is the people that I’ve met that belong to the society and contribute to all the things that are going on,” he said.
Improvement is needed in the areas of volunteerism and increased membership, he added.
“You see some of the same people doing the same events over and over again, and sometimes with pretty limited resources,” he said.
Rod and his wife, Meg, live in Hilliard and have three adult children: Nathan and Hilary live in Hilliard, and Betsy lives in Vandalia, Ohio. The couple has nine grandchildren – eight of them girls.
Rod has lived in Hilliard since he was 8 years old. His brothers and sister still live here.
“I’ve been in Hilliard for 63-plus years and seen the own town area and a lot of things change. When I was a kid, the Old Bag of Nails restaurant was a hardware store. And there were several buildings on North Main and Center streets that aren’t there anymore,” he said.
“If you look at the history in metropolitan areas and how they expand, change is inevitable,” he added. What he likes best about the city of Hilliard is his many friends and acquaintances.
“One of my pet peeves is development of the Old Hilliard part of the city. It lacks an identity and the things they have put in to try and attract people don’t have enough parking places. I see that as a big downfall,” said Rod.
Contributed by Rosemary Kubera
