SHELBY — There will not be a primary election in the City of Shelby on May 4 since not more than two candidates filed for any City Council seats.
The deadline to file petitions in Shelby, under the city’s charter, was Thursday at 4 p.m., according to Paulette Hankins, Richland County Board of Elections director.
Hankins said Shelby candidates who filed for the non-partisan seats will advance on to the Nov. 2 general election once petitions are certified by the local board of elections at its next meeting March 2.
Richland County May 4 primary ballot
No issues were filed for the City of Shelby and there are no issues on the ballot, so no precincts will be open in the city on May 4.
For the City of Ontario Charter Commission, 17 candidates filed, but two withdrew, so 15 remain on the ballot, she said.
Hankins said the resolution for the charter issue specifies 15 are to be elected.
“These charter candidates will appear on the ballot within the Charter Formation question, even though the primary for the other Ontario City administration candidates has been eliminated,” Hankins said.
All City of Ontario precincts will be open May 4. Ontario voters will receive a non-partisan ballot with only the charter question on their ballot.
In the City of Mansfield, there is one contested primary race for Republicans seeking to complete an unexpired term. Recently appointed council member Stephanie Zader will compete against Christopher Beale on May 4 for a citywide, at-large council seat.
The winner of that primary race will take on Democrat Sammie Dunn Jr., 435 Lawnsdale Ave., in November. Dunn is unopposed in the May primary, as are other Democratic council candidates.
Also on the May primary ballot for the City of Mansfield Mansfield will be requests for four-year renewals of two, 0.25 percent income tax levies.
One is the Parks, Recreation, Illumination, Demolitions and Emergency Services (PRIDE) tax, which generates about $3.7 million annually and benefits the city’s police and fire departments (50 percent), as well as parks and recreation (22 percent), demolition (20 percent) and street lights (8 percent). It was first approved in 2013 and renewed in 2017.
The other renewal is for road construction and repair, also known as the “I Hate Potholes” levy. It generates a similar amount as PRIDE and goes directly to the city’s street repair efforts, a tax that has helped local road work for more than three decades.
All City of Mansfield precincts will be open for voting on May 4. Voters in the City of Mansfield will be able to choose either a Republican or an issues-only ballot.
Other sub-divisions in Richland County which will be open for voting in May with only an issue on their ballots include the Village of Plymouth with a tax levy renewal, the Village of Shiloh, with a tax levy renewal, and Washington Township with a bond issue.
The deadline to register to vote in the May primary is April 5.
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.