Ohio school board member dies of heart attack

Ohio school board member Jeff Hardin, whose district included Greene and Clark counties, died Wednesday morning after a fatal heart attack.

Hardin, 58, of Milford, was re-elected in November to a second four-year term to represent the state’s school board 10th district, which also includes Adams, Brown, Clermont, Fayette, Gallia, Highland, Jackson, Lawrence, Madison, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton counties, and part of Pickaway County.

Ohio State Board of Education President Debe Terhrar, of Cincinnati, issued a statement following Hardin’s death, calling him a dedicated public servant and friend.

“Just yesterday, less than 24 hours before his passing, he made a special trip to Columbus with his son to participate in our board meeting. I join so many others who knew Jeff in offering my deepest sympathy on his passing to his family and friends,” Terhrar said.

Hardin was a mortgage professional and adjunct faculty member at Hondros College, according to his official biography. He was first elected to the state board of education in 2008, the same year he served as a Republican delegate for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich will appoint someone to fulfill the rest of Hardin’s term, ODE spokesman John Charlton said Wednesday. There is no immediate timetable.

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