When Jim Mueller first heard President John F. Kennedy say, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” it not only sparked a lifelong commitment to public service, but also shaped Geauga County — and national — politics for more than four decades, he said during a Dec. 18 interview.
When Jim Mueller first heard President John F. Kennedy say, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” it not only sparked a lifelong commitment to public service, but also shaped Geauga County — and national — politics for more than four decades, he said during a Dec. 18 interview.
Mueller, 81, who has served as Russell Township trustee for 20 years, recently announced his retirement, inspiring some reflection on the many years that led him to this point.
Mueller was born in Euclid and attended Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School before earning a degree in chemical engineering from Cleveland State University in 1967, he said.
He later moved to Geauga and began his political career in 1971, when he was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives for the 74th District, serving until 1974. At 26, he was the youngest member of the legislature, Mueller said, adding he was also the first Democrat from Geauga County elected to the state legislature in 168 years.
Among his accomplishments at the Statehouse, Mueller said he played a role in the passage of the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 in 1971.
To pass a constitutional amendment, three-fourths of the states — 38 — must ratify it. Ohio was the 38th state to do so, according to the National Constitutional Center.
“‘When those lights all light up and there’s more green than red (on the electronic voting board), you will have changed the Constitution of the United States,’” Mueller recalled former Speaker of the House Charles F. Kurfess saying.
And they did just that.
“I was there and I voted for (it),” Mueller said. “(Kurfess) called us into session early (at) like 8:30 in the morning because another state was going to get to do it before us, but (Kurfess) said, ‘I want us to have bragging rights that we’re the ones that put (the 26th amendment) over.’”
Mueller had moved to Geauga County in search of a more rural atmosphere, he said, adding he served as a Geauga County commissioner from 1976 to 1992 and was the first Democrat elected to that position in 172 years.
When Mueller was elected commissioner, plans were underway to install sewer systems on the western side of Geauga County, but he and fellow Commissioner Dick Ford halted those plans, he recalled.
“We wanted to keep our community based on wells and septic systems,” Mueller said. “We basically turned the county around and said, ‘No, we’re not going to use sewers and city water’ … (and) attract more and more developers and more and more people.”
In 1987, Mueller founded PolyScience Engineering Group in Chagrin Falls, a firm providing chemical and environmental engineering services that remains active today.
Mueller was later elected Russell Township trustee in 2005. He will officially retire Dec. 31.
Unlike many politicians, Mueller said he always enjoyed campaigning.
“You know what I just figured out? I said, ‘Everybody that votes eats,’” he said.
He said he stood outside the five grocery stores in the county at the time, shaking hands with people as they entered.
“Quite often, I would shake hands with three or 400 people in a day and on Saturdays, it was 600,” Mueller said, adding he estimates he shook hands with about 14,000 people during his campaign.
One of his most significant accomplishments as trustee was the construction of the Russell Township Police Station in 2008, he said, adding the $1 million project was funded by a state inheritance tax using money saved from three estates.
Officials recognized Mueller during a Dec. 2 meeting ahead of his retirement, citing his humor and dedication to keeping Russell “green.”
Trustee Kristina Port reflected on her experience working with Mueller over the years.
“When I was a Russell trustee from 2008-2012, my term was marked with less ‘unanimous’ vote decisions by trustees, meaning if I said ‘yes’ in a trustee vote, Mr. Mueller often countered with a ‘no’ vote,” Port said. “As I reflect on this term, part of the motivation was due to being of opposite political party; part of it was due to his staunch belief in keeping the status quo in Russell Township to defend large lot zoning and no sewers that ‘Keep Russell green.’”
When Port was re–elected as trustee in 2020, she said Mueller’s beliefs remained unchanged.
“Mr. Mueller still has his convictions and he weighed in on matters that were consequential and less of those that appeared mundane,” she said. “Mr. Mueller always supported the township service departments (road, fire, police) and their respective personnel. To this end, one can review decisions within the township and find more ‘unanimous’ voting, more commonality and congeniality among trustees in approaches to governing township decisions. Trustees may disagree, yet there is civility, opportunity to present one’s perspective and as Mr. Mueller stated, ‘It’s business, not personal.’ That is the crux of decisions.”
She added, “I wish him all the best in his retirement from serving as a Russell Township trustee and am grateful to his professional contribution to the township governance.”
Fiscal Officer Karen Walder, who has worked with Mueller since 2018, also expressed appreciation.
“Russell Township’s present-day character is, in large part, a result of Trustee Jim Mueller’s dedication to public service and to the causes he believed in,” she said. “I wish Jim Mueller all the best on his well-earned retirement.”
Geauga County Auditor Chuck Walder previously voiced his gratitude for Mueller this fall, reflecting on their five years working when Chuck served as Russell Township fiscal officer.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the banter we had, the camaraderie we shared and I think we accomplished some really big things for the township,” Chuck said.
He highlighted Mueller’s role in modernizing the township administration building, restoring the Briar Hill Cemetery Chapel and making Russell the first township in the county to participate in the Ohio treasurer’s checkbook plan.
“(The checkbook plan) opened up our accounting and our payments and all of the checks that move through our system to anybody in the community who wishes to look for them,” Chuck explained. “That was very far ahead of its time. That was almost 10 years ago, believe it or not. Back 10 years ago, there wasn’t this big push for accountability and transparency, but Mr. Mueller had that and I applaud him for that.”
Chuck credited Mueller for the township’s decision to handle its own maintenance, mowing and snow removal, which he said has saved tens of thousands of dollars.
Mueller was also instrumental in the design of the Circle K, at 14857 Chillicothe Road in Russell, Chuck said.
“That design is a unique design for Circle K’s across the United States,” he said. “You see the building from the road, no matter which view you have, it looks like the front of the building. And that was by design and that has never been done before by Circle K.”
Chuck said that despite disagreements, their working relationship remained respectful.
“Even though we’ve disagreed on certain issues and oftentimes, we’ve had heated debates, we always walked away friends and we always walked away understanding that no matter what the outcome was, we would support either party’s — whoever the victor was — that initiative,” Chuck said. “I think we did that together and I will always remember that lesson that he taught me.”
He also joked that his “secret” to working with Mueller was bringing candy to trustee meetings.
“When I detected Mr. Mueller was going to resist an initiative, I learned that if I brought candy in and I put it between us and I made sure the candy was very chewable, he would wait a while and then he would jump on that candy,” Chuck said. “It was like a dog on food and he would whoop it down and he couldn’t comment, he couldn’t object. He would be so preoccupied eating that candy, it would just get done.”
Looking ahead, Mueller joked he hopes to buy a sailboat and keep it off the coast of Florida.
“I am deeply grateful to the people in Geauga County, particularly, and some of the people in Lake County (who) gave me the opportunity to be in politics,” he said. “All these years, I have served in different capacities — state rep, county commissioner (and) trustee — for 41 years. I can honestly say that when you’ve done that as long as I have, it changes your outlook on life.”
