Douglas County commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to appoint Ron Lynch to fulfill an unexpired term on the Indian Hills General Improvement District.

The vacancy was created by the resignation in March of trustee Bill Eisele.

By a 2-1 majority, the Indian Hills board had recommended the vacancy go to former board member Ron Kruse.

Other applicants for the job included Art Baer, Chuck Swanson and Bill Moriarty. Baer and Swanson each served on the board.

Commissioner Mike Olson nominated Lynch after sifting through the applications and speaking to board members.

He said he contacted board member Laura Lau, who was absent when trustees voted for a replacement, and said she could not support Kruse.

“Many of the applicants sat on the board before,” Olson said. “It's a divided community, and I think they need someone on the board who is level-headed.”

Lynch, 72, said he became interested in serving the community when talk turned to cityhood.

“We would have to have our own police and fire departments, paramedics, mayor, city council and a place to put them all. It didn't seem to me we could afford that,” Lynch said.

“I never could find out how much of the general improvement district's money went to the cityhood effort. My concern is that some day the district will go under financially,” he said.

With the hiring of James Taylor as district general manager, Lynch said he felt the community was in good hands.

“The board is supposed to be custodians of the district. We need to work together,” he said.

Lynch said he has worked for Douglas County mosquito abatement for 41 years and taught school for 30 years, retiring in 1999.

Kruse, who served 10 years on the board, said he believed he could bring stability to the board.

“I've been here 10 years on the board. I would do the best job I could for the next 18 months,” he said.

The term expires in December 2010, and the replacement would have to run for election.