As the Nov. 4 General Election for Ohio is approaches and residents will notice the signs in yards and on billboards. Six local candidates vie for the positions of Richland County commissioner, Richland County Common Pleas Court judge, and state representative.
“The openings for commissioners and judges are the heaviest campaigns this year,” stated Paulette Hankins, director of the Richland County Board of Elections.
Although hoping for a good turn-out, Hankins said that because there are no state-wide issues on the ballot this year, the polls might not be quite as active. “The state-wide ones usually garner a lot of response, like the ones affecting people’s jobs or healthcare,” she noted.
Prior to each election, the board looks at previous elections that are similar in form to the upcoming election. “In 2010 the turnout was 48 percent and in 2006 it was 51 percent. We are predicting about a 45 percent turnout this year for the Nov. 4 general election,” said Hankins.
This is how they determine how many poll booths and volunteers they will need.
Hankins pointed out that for those wanting to register to vote the deadline was Monday, Oct. 6. Residents can go online to MyOhioVote.com to change their address or go into the elections office to register or file a name change.
Some of the candidates up for election in Richland County include:
The U.S. Congress for the 12th Congressional District race pits Republican incumbent Pat Tiberi against Democrat David Tibbs and Green Party Candidate Bob Hart. Tiberi has served in the House since 2001. Before that Tiberi was a real estate agent and graduated from Ohio State University in journalism. Tibbs has a military background and is the CEO at Vertical Horizons One, a management consulting company. Hart served with the Attorney General’s office for 23 years and has been an attorney for Occupy Columbus.
For the House of Representatives, Ontario native Mark Romanchuk is running as the incumbent for Ohio’s District 2 against Democrat Don Bryant from Mansfield. Romanchuk was first elected to the House on Jan. 1, 2013. He lives in Ontario and owns PR Machine Works, Inc. in Ontario. Bryant currently works as a teacher for the Mansfield City Schools.
The heavy campaigns of both Republican Marilyn John and Democrat Philip Scott for County Commissioner will finally be decided in November. “This position opened up because of Commissioner Ed Olson retiring after 28 years,” reported Stacey Crall, clerk at the Commissioners’ office. Olson has served five terms as county commissioner and leaves behind a legacy of saving Richland County money.
Marilyn John is in her fourth year as mayor. However, currently in her second year of her current term as Mayor of Shelby, if she is voted in as county commissioner the position of mayor will be offered first to the Law Director Gordon Eyster. If Eyster passes on the position, then it will be offered to the Director of Finance Robert Lafferty.
Phil Scott was first elected as Richland County Clerk of Court in 1988, and was re-elected in 1992, 1996, and 2000. In 2007, Scott was elected by more than a ten-percent margin to serve as Mansfield City Council President, and in 2011 he was re-elected with a similar margin.
The other heavily campaigned and sought after race has been between Phillip Naumoff and Brent Robinson for the Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Richland County. Naumoff is currently a magistrate for Mansfield Municipal Court. Incumbent Brent Robinson was appointed by Governor John Kasich to serve out the remainder of James Henson’s term when he retired in February.
Most of the other candidates listed on the November ballot are lone contenders without an opponent running against them.
