St. Louis County Election Board chairman John Diehl just confirmed that he’s resigning his post Wednesday morning, then filing for the 87th District state House spot being vacated by fellow Republican Scott Muschany.

Diehl, 43, of Town and Country, said he had informed his fellow board members at Tuesday’s regular meeting. He’d also called Gov. Matt Blunt, who appoints the Election Board members.

“I’m interested in serving the community further,’’ said Diehl, a lawyer from Town and Country. Diehl is former president of the community’s Board of Aldermen, and is a partner in the Armstrong-Teasdale law firm.

“It’ll be a commitment, but it will be fun,” he added.

Diehl has headed the county Election Board for roughly three years, in that time replacing its top staff and overhauling most of its operations. Under his watch, the county purchased new voting machines — touch-screen and optical scan — to replace the old punch cards.

Diehl declined to speculate about who Blunt might choose as an interim successor at the Election Board.

But sources tell us that some of the names already suggested to the governor include: former County Councilman Skip Mange and former state Sen. Betty Sims, both Republicans.

Diehl is a lifelong resident of St. Louis County. He attended DeSmet High School, the University of Missouri (political science major) and got his law degree from St. Louis University.

He and his wife, Kelly, have three sons (two at Chaminade College Prep, which also is my son’s alma mater).

The 87th District is considered Republican-leaning, but Democrats had been optimistic about the chances of their candidate, lawyer Mark Zoole.