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A Toledo native, Copeland
was born May 16, 1945 and attended Gunckel Elementary,
Robinson Junior High School and Scott High School. He
dropped out of high school but later earned a GED and worked
his way up the Laborers Local 500 ladder, the same union his
uncle, Bill Copeland led for many years.
Copeland began his career
with Local 500 in 1966 and served on a variety of committees
before being elected to secretary/treasurer in 1985.
He has served on the
boards of the Toledo Branch NAACP, TARTA, the Open Door
Ministry, the Lagrange Development Corporation, the Lucas
County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services and the Toledo
Board of Community Relations.
Phil Copeland was
appointed to Toledo City Council in 2005 while he was
secretary-treasurer of Local 500 and was elected business
manager of the union in 2007 after a scandal left the top
office vacant.
In 2012, Copeland won his
race for the Lucas County Recorder position and has served
in that office ever since, winning re-election this past
November.
Copeland’s friends were
stunned by the sudden, unexpected death of their friend.
Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken, said he was shocked
and described Copeland, during his tenure as leader of Local
500, as being responsible for helping thousands of Toledoans
to start their careers.
Copeland’s replacement
will be appointed by the Lucas County Commissioners after
considering recommendations from both the county Democratic
and Republican parties.
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