MANSFIELD — Marilyn John emerged victorious Tuesday after a tight Richland County Commissioner’s Republican primary race.
According to the Richland County Board of Elections’ unofficial results, John garnered 44.10 percent of the votes (4,770 votes), slightly ahead of Dale Hulit with 43.16 percent of the votes (4,669 votes). David Morgenstern trailed with 12.74 percent of the votes (1,378 votes).
John will face Democrat Rebecca Hergatt in November for a term commencing Jan. 1, 2019.
“I’m very grateful for the support of the voters in Richland County, and I look forward to the campaign this coming summer,” she said Tuesday night.
John is currently in her first term as county commissioner. She edged Democrat Phil Scott in the general election of 2014, making her Richland County’s second female commissioner.
She previously served as mayor of Shelby from 2010 to 2014.
As her campaign continues, she hopes to raise awareness of some of the issues the county faces and the impact that a county commissioner can have on those issues, including the opiate crisis and economic development.
“I think it’s really important to get the message across as far as the impact that a county commissioner can have,” she said. “Sometimes it’s just a matter of being present and in a meeting or in a room to show support for something that’s really critical for an elected official to do.
“I’ve tried to do that in the eight years that I’ve served in public office, and I will continue to do that.”
Her platform is threefold: economic vitality, leading for the future and fiscal responsibility.
She believes creating a climate for job growth is critical to Richland County’s economic success.
She created LeaderRichland, a leadership program reaching more than 5,000 students over the past six years with an additional 1,000 going through the program this spring, she said.
She also worked to establish the Richland County Budget Stabilization Fund or Rainy Day Fund and build a Richland Revitalization Fund for capital improvement projects.
