New Greene County coroner wants fresh start in office
Trista Thurston/Observer-Reporter
Gene Rush, right, takes the oath as new coroner at the Greene County investiture ceremony Thursday as his wife, Judy, holds a Bible.
Gene Rush
WAYNESBURG – Greene County Coroner Gene Rush said in order to make the office as open and transparent as he intends, he needed to start fresh with his staff.
Along with Rush, chief deputy coroner Martin Yoskovich was sworn in at December’s investiture ceremony. Two new general deputy coroners include Harry Gillispie and Aaron Walker.
Rush said with his new staff spread out across Greene County, he hopes it cuts down on response times so first responders are not waiting for the coroner to arrive on the scene.
“There comes a time where there needs to be a change, a complete change,” Rush said, adding there’s “no other reason other than the fact that it’s time.”
Rush defeated longtime coroner Gregory Rohanna by just four votes in last November’s election.
He said there were no hard feelings with former deputy coroner Mary Lewis and that she did a great job. Lewis also worked alongside her son, part-time deputy coroner Bill Lewis.
“We just want everything to be fresh and new,” he said.
Now, he’s hoping for a smooth transition into the office after beginning his new role Jan. 1.
Rush’s main motivation for running for the job is that with his 44 years of funeral experience, he’s seen how other coroners run the office. He thought he could do it better, though, and emphasized he’s not looking to reinvent but to be more efficient.
He wants the coroner’s office to be more “consumer-friendly” and wants people to be able to call with questions or safety concerns if they’re relevant to his office, such as a dangerous intersection with a high number of fatal crashes. He also hopes to be involved in fighting the opioid epidemic that has ravaged the county. Rush is hoping to be “more than a signature on a death certificate.”
He also wants to make sure his relationships with Greene County’s first responders, police and the hospital are strong.
But as for specific examples as to how he wants to make the office more transparent and efficient, Rush said he hasn’t quite figured that out yet. He’s still getting oriented in the job and even with his funeral experience, there’s still a lot he hasn’t seen. He said he will have more concrete ideas in the weeks and months to come.
Rush said many have asked him since the election why he retired, then later decided to run for office. He considers himself qualified, with a lot to learn.
“I thought I could make a difference,” he said.
Before running for coroner, Rush operated his own funeral home for 31 years and previously served as a deputy coroner in Washington County under the late Farrell Jackson. Rush called Jackson “the epitome of what a coroner is supposed to be” and someone he hopes to emulate in his tenure.
“He was that good. He knew the business. He knew how to delegate,” Rush said, adding Jackson was efficient and well-respected.
Rush said he also hopes to look to current Washington County Coroner Tim Warco, whom he’s known for over 20 years, for guidance.
As for how exactly he wants to be transparent, Rush said he wants to be as open and as attainable as he can be. He added that he prefers talking to people face-to-face and isn’t big on technology.
Rush said he would file needed reports, but declined to comment on the Observer-Reporter’s ongoing lawsuit against his predecessor seeking the office’s annual report and records.
“I want to make sure (the reports) are filed correctly and efficiently. I don’t want the office to be a big secret,” Rush said. “What’s required will be filed.”
In the fight against opioid addiction, Rush said he sees his job as one of awareness.
“A lot of people don’t know how bad we have it,” he said. “If they’re using heroin, fentanil’s involved,” Rush said of most of the fatal drug overdoses in Greene County.
His aim is to reach pre-teen students, who are at a vulnerable and impressionable age, yet old enough to comprehend the dangers of heroin, fentanyl and carfentanil.
“Your life is going to be cut very short because of this if you’re not aware of what you’re getting into,” he said. “Nothing good ever comes from it. A lot of families have been devastated.”