Decision 2023: Falquette, Scott seek to reverse roles on Mansfield City Council

MANSFIELD — Phil Scott and David Falquette may be swapping seats on Mansfield City Council in January.

And at this point, both have filed valid petitions and neither has any opposition with less than two weeks to the May 2 primary filing deadline.

Scott, a longtime local Democrat, is currently finishing the final year of his first, four-year term as an At-large member of council.

Before edging Falquette for that At-large seat in 2019 with 51 percent of the vote, Scott served as council president for 12 years and worked for 16 years before that as the elected Richland County Clerk of Courts.

Scott was prevented from seeking a fourth consecutive term as council president by city charter, prompting his move across the room four years ago.

Falquette, a Republican, was elected to represent the 1st Ward in 2017, earning 67 percent of the vote in the general election.

After losing the race for the At-large seat in 2019, Falquette was appointed by Republicans to complete an unexpired At-large seat term and then moved to council president to fill a void in 2021.

As of Thursday at 4 p.m., no Republican has pulled petitions for the council president seat and no Democrat has pulled for the At-large seat.

Both seats are decided on a city-wide vote. The council president presides over meetings, but does not vote unless there is a tie among the eight voting members — six ward seats and two At-large slots.

With the Feb. 1 deadline approaching, the City of Mansfield primary election ballot is becoming clearer.

With a new addition to the Richland County Board of Elections website, local residents can check for themselves to see which candidates have pulled or filed petitions — and which tax issues are planned for the May 2 primary.

Go to https://www.boe.ohio.gov/richland/ and click on “candidate list” or “questions and issues list.” Elections Director Matt Finfgeld said the site is updated each weekday at 4 p.m.

The board of elections will meet Feb. 3 to certify the ballot.

Here is what we know as of Thursday at 4 p.m.

Mansfield mayor

Four Republicans have taken out petitions to seek the office to replace current Republican Mayor Tim Theaker, who is finishing the last year of his third and final term.

Three of those office seekers have returned them — Jim Holsinger, Jodie Perry and Linn Steward. The fourth Republican, Stephanie Zader, took out petitions in July 2022, but has not yet filed them with the board of election.

Sherry Reese Vaught is the only Democrat to take out a mayoral petition thus far. She has not yet filed her petitions.

As a community development group committed to growing Mansfield, NECIC sees civic engagement as vital for a healthy community. Rooted in the North End, their efforts benefit North Central Ohio and beyond. They promote informed voter turnout for a thriving society. Explore at www.necic-ohio.org.

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