Trumbull County commissioners commend water superintendent Ronald Watson on retirement

The Trumbull County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 30, 2025, adopted a resolution recognizing Ronald Watson, water superintendent for the Trumbull County Sanitary Engineers Department, for more than 31 years of service and marking his retirement effective Sept. 30, 2025.

The resolution highlighted Watson’s career path, noting he was hired in 1994 as an environmental engineer, promoted in 1997 to senior environmental engineer and became water superintendent in 2020. It listed his certifications, including a Class 2 wastewater collection license, a water distribution Class 1 license and backflow certification.

Commissioner Hernandez read the board’s remarks and said Watson’s departure would be “a major loss,” adding the county will miss his expertise. Gary Newbrow, Trumbull County sanitary engineer, told commissioners, “The amount of work that he does is just phenomenal out there. Not just, you know, answering a call at 2 in the morning on a freezing night, but it’s the regulatory end of things.” Newbrow stressed the workload spans seven water districts, increasing the regulatory and reporting burden compared with neighboring jurisdictions that serve one district.

The board recorded a motion to approve the resolution; the motion passed unanimously. The resolution said Watson plans to spend retirement time at home working on projects, use his tractor to help neighbors and take a trip to Las Vegas later in the year.

Watson accepted the recognition and joined commissioners and staff for photographs following the vote.