MANSFIELD — Republican Darrell Banks has earned a third, four-year term as a Richland County Commissioner, according to final, unofficial results from the Richland County Board of Elections.
Banks, 76, defeated Rev. Aaron Williams, a 55-year-old Democratic newcomer to politics.
“I’m very pleased that we won this thing for the third time, and it’s an honor to serve the voters,” Banks said late Tuesday night. “We greatly appreciate their vote.”
According unofficial results from the Richland County Board of Elections, Banks won with 71.74% of the vote, or 39,131 total votes. Willams earned 28.26% of the vote, or 15,411 total votes.
There are a handful of priorities Banks has for his next term in office, including facility improvements and broadband expansion that requires a partnership with the state and federal government.
“I’ve enjoyed working with the other commissioners, elected officials and department heads to do what’s best for the citizens, and I believe we’ve done that and that’s why I was re-elected,” he said.
Banks’ co-commissioner, Republican Tony Vero, was also re-elected to another four-year term on Nov. 5. Vero ran unopposed on this year’s ballot.
Both men will serve alongside Republican Cliff Mears, who was first appointed by the Richland County Republican Party in 2021 to finish Marilyn John’s unexpired term of two years. He was officially elected in 2022, and will appear on the ballot again in 2026.
The role of a county commissioner in Ohio is spelled out in Chapter 307 of the Ohio Revised Code. Commissioners do not make laws, unlike a city or village council member. It’s largely an administrative body that sets strategic direction and fiscal priorities for the county.
The three-member Board of Commissioners serves as the budget and appropriating authority for all county government, including all county agencies and elected officials.
In his third term as commissioner, Banks said he wants to continue to be a good steward of the county’s finances.
“I think it’s going to be tough to do that again, we have a request of $5.5 million more than what our revenues are, so that’s going to keep us busy until the end of the year,” Banks said.
“Also, we believe a good way of doing business is for our people to know how much money they have every year, so we’ll get the budget done by the end of the year.”
Banks was first elected as a county commissioner in 2016, after serving nine years as the mayor for the village of Bellville.
“I want to continue to use my varied experiences in business, education, public service and the U.S. Army to manage Richland County in the best interest of the taxpayers of the county,” Banks told Richland Source in a previous interview.
He noted capital investments made during his tenure in office includes the 9-1-1 dispatch center, a communications tower in Lucas and a wide array of improvements made at the county courthouse.