BUCYRUS — The Crawford County Board of Elections denied a residency challenge presented against 87th Ohio House of Representative candidate Steve Reinhard on Thursday.
Reinhard currently serves as a Crawford County commissioner.
Bucyrus resident county worker Stephanie Surina presented the board with county records that seemed to indicate Reinhard lived in Delaware County with his wife and stepchildren.
“Steve Reinhard lives in Radnor, not Bucyrus. Steve should be running for the 67th District of western Delaware County where he resides with his wife Kerrie and her kids from a previous marriage,” Surina said during her testimony.
Reinhard owns a farm at 2030 Ohio 4 in Bucyrus, Reinhard Farms LLC. This address is listed as his residency, not the one in Radner where his wife lives with her children. Reinhard said he and his wife are separated because of a custody agreement between her and her ex-husband.
Surina cited what she understood as a similar case when Bucyrus mayor candidate Dan Ross was denied his seat because of a successful residency challenge in 2010. She also cited Ohio Revised Code 3503.02 that defines the place of residency for public officials.
“The same rules should apply to everyone,” she said.
Reinhard was present with his attorney, Russell Long, who asked Surina a series of questions.
“You mentioned that you’re seeking answers as a public citizen and you’re asking this board to help you provide those answers. Do you know where Steve currently works?” Long asked.
“I know he owns a farm,” Surina answered.
“Okay. Is he a sitting county commissioner?” Long asked.
“Yes.”
“Okay. Do you know where the county commissioner’s office is?”
“Right upstairs.”
“And at any time you could have gone up and asked him before today any of these questions that you have?”
“Sure.”
“Without need for a public hearing?”
“Sure.”
“And have him explain that to you?”
“Would I have believed him? I wouldn’t have believed him,” Surina said.
She said according to county and state records, he purchased a home in Radner with his wife in 2014.
“I’m assuming he lives there with his wife,” she said.
Long later presented documents including recent mail and tax filings indicating Reinhard’s place of residence is, in fact, in Crawford County.
“So you never changed your residence from Crawford County to Delaware County?” Long asked Reinhard.
“No,” Reinhard answered.
“You have no intention of living in Delaware County, except for when you go down to visit your wife, which hopefully you would do as a good husband?” Long asked.
“Correct.”
After the board denied Surina’s residency challenge, she said it did not matter.
“If he lives here, he lives here. If he doesn’t, he doesn’t. My whole thing was, it’s been the talk around town,” Surina said. “There have been people talking about it. I just wanted an answer. I’m just glad the voters now have more information on him.”
Surina said she did not consider asking Reinhard these questions before publicly challenging him.
“Of course he’s going to say, ‘yes, I live in Crawford County.’ He’s not going to say, ‘oh yeah, I live in Delaware,’” she said. “I wanted to go down on record.”
