GRAND RAPIDS, Ohio — James F. Carter, a former Wood County commissioner and mayor of Grand Rapids, Ohio, who was a U.S. Army veteran and volunteer firefighter, died Saturday at his Grand Rapids home. He was 86.

His wife of 67 years, Sharon Carter, said he died of Parkinson’s disease.

State Rep. Haraz Ghanbari (R., Perrysburg) said Mr. Carter’s more than 40 years of leadership across local institutions reflected “a deep commitment to community and to practical, people-centered governance.”

“Jim was a humble, hard-working guy that didn’t sit back and watch life go before him,” Mr. Ghanbari said. “He was an active participant in so many different things that helped make our county what it is, whether it was agriculture, whether it was economic development, whether it was serving as a first

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