MANSFIELD – The Richland County Republican Party gathered for lunch on Monday afternoon to hear from the local candidates representing their party.
In the midst of a tumultuous presidential race, Richland County Republican Chair and County Commissioner Marilyn John emphasized the importance of local politics.
“National politics are also very important, but our local candidates and elected officials really impact what you do on a day-to-day basis,” John said. “I think it’s important for you to hear from them, and then work to get them elected.”
One candidate particularly eager to get his message to the masses was Tony Vero, running for Richland County Commissioner. He will face off against Democrat incumbent Gary Utt in November
Vero joined the race a mere three weeks ago after candidate Dan Hardwick withdrew from the running, citing a job opportunity he could not pass up. Vero was chosen by the Republican Central Committee precinct representatives on June 22.
“When I say we have a campaign team that is young, that is not an understatement,” Vero said, joking that he searched on Google for advantages to being young. “Two things that stuck out to me were being willing to take risks, and not knowing what you don’t know.”
Vero is currently a member of Lexington’s village council, and is employed at ArcelorMittal in Shelby. New to the commissioner race, he welcomed any campaign advice from his fellow Republicans.
“We’re not just replacing Dan Hardwick to fill a seat for the Republican party. We can beat Gary Utt,” Vero said. “We are in it to win it this fall, and we can have three Republicans sitting in county commissioner seats.”
The Republicans’ second commissioner candidate, Darrell Banks, also spoke briefly at Monday’s luncheon. Banks will run against Democrat Ron Davis in November after besting Republican incumbent Tim Wert in the primary election.
Banks joked he’d lost at least 25 pounds while on the campaign trail.
“But we’ll keep getting out there and knocking on doors because I will do everything I can to make sure on Nov. 8 we have a Republican victory,” Banks said.
The party began its luncheon on Monday with an invocation that paid tribute to the police officers killed in the Dallas shooting. Richland County Sheriff Steve Sheldon, who is up for reelection against Democrat Matt Mayer, was honored during invocation along with Maj. Joe Masi.
Before highlighting a number of his accomplishments over 12 years, including the construction of a new jail and programs such as Project Lifesaver and Project Starfish, Sheldon described himself as a “constitutional sheriff.”
“I believe very much in the constitution of this country,” Sheldon said. “I wish everybody else did, I think we would be in a lot better shape.”
Sheldon highlighted the second amendment, the right to bear arms, as one of the most important parts of the constitution.
“It was placed second for a reason,” he said. “I think it’s very important, and I don’t want the federal or state government taking that right away from us. And I want to let everybody know where I stand.”
A new face to the party luncheon but not to the Republican party was Richland County Recorder Sarah Davis, who said Monday was her first time addressing the Republican committee in 20 years. This year is also Davis’ first time running opposed in 20 years, facing Democrat James Boyd.
“The question is, why are you running for reelection after 20 years? Well, I’m not ready to die yet,” Davis said. “I’ve got a lot of energy and I’ve done a lot of good for the office. I’m passionate about preserving the value of the Richland County land office and the value of checks and balances in county government.”
Davis pointed out a little-known fact that the recorder’s office is, in fact, a business. Money is made for the recorder’s office as well as the county’s general fund.
“We also donate to the Ohio Housing Trust Fund, which gets half of our fees,” Davis said. “Since the middle of 2003 to the end of 2015, we’ve given $5,965,874. Double that, and you’ll know how much money we take into our office.”
Finally, the party heard from District 5 Ohio Court of Appeals candidate, Judge David Gormley. Gormley emphasized he was running alongside Judge Craig Baldwin, not against him; his opponent in the November election is Democrat Earle Wise.
“The party label is dropped in November, so all you’ll see is my opponent’s name and my name on the ballot with no party label,” Gormley said. “You need to know which one is the Republican because there would be decisions not to our liking if four of the six people on the court were Democrats.”
