Larry Weirich and Venita Shoulders were unanimously elected Thursday evening to represent the local Democratic Party on the Richland County Board of Elections.Â
Larry Weirich and Venita Shoulders were unanimously elected Thursday evening to represent the local Democratic Party on the Richland County Board of Elections.Â
MANSFIELD -- Neither Larry Weirich nor Venita Shoulders said they had given serious past consideration to serving on the Richland County Board of Elections.
But after their unanimous selections Thursday evening by Richland County Democratic Party Central and Executive committee members to serve on the board, both veteran party leaders expressed the same primary goal.
Namely, ensuring local residents can have faith in fair and honest local elections as members of the bipartisan, four-member board.
"I don't worry about the (elections) staff or our election process. I worry about those who question everything that's going on. We have a really good system in Ohio," said the 61-year-old Weirich, who has chaired the Richland County Democratic Party for the last two years.
"I think (the local election system) has proven itself time and time again and I just hope that we can continue with and make sure people who want to vote are able to vote. That's the key," said Weirich, the current administrator for the Village of Bellville.
Shoulders, the local party's vice chair for the last two years, echoed Weirich. She said she has noticed more voter skepticism lately than when she got involved two decades ago.
"We have a very safe, honest, no-issues kind of election here in Richland County. We always have a 100 percent (post-election) audit," the 68-year-old Shoulders said.
"We need to help reassure people that their votes are being counted and everything is above board," said Shoulders, a former teacher and union official for Mansfield City Schools and labor relations consultant with the Ohio Education Association.
Weirich will serve a full four-year on the board, replacing Lydia Reid, who chose not to seek another term. His term begins March 1.
Shoulders will complete the unexpired term of Shelby attorney JC Elgin, who announced his resignation to run for Shelby Municipal Court judge this year. Her term will expire in 2025.
Both have been active in assisting in local elections.
Richland County Democratic Party Central and Executive committee members meet Thursday evening at party headquarters in downtown Mansfield.
The two were the only names placed in nomination Thursday during a packed-house meeting at the party headquarters, 16 S. Park St., in downtown Mansfield.
Weirich previously held the position of Richland County administrator with the Ohio Department of Transportation and was a residential and commercial Realtor. He served on the Realtors’ Board of Directors and was selected as president of the Mansfield Board of Realtors.
Shoulders taught Prospect Elementary School and was active in the Mansfield School Employees Association as a building rep, association secretary and state and national delegate to the OEA and NEA representative assemblies.
She was elected as the state president of the Doris L. Allen Minority Caucus, an auxiliary organization that promotes minority issues and impacting minority influence throughout Ohio.
Now retired, Shoulders left the district in 1988 to work with the Ohio Education Association, where her duties included negotiating contracts for teachers and education support personnel; organizational development;Â providing representation to members involved in grievances and arbitrations, and political action.
Current Republican members of the bipartisan board are Bill Freytag, whose term expires Feb. 28, and Megan Whatman, whose term ends in 2025.
Democrat Matt Finfgeld is the director of the Richland County Board of Elections. Jane Zimmerman, a Republican, is the deputy director.
Each of Ohio’s 88 counties has a Board of Elections office responsible for administering local elections. A four-person board governs each BOE; with two members from each major political party.
All petitions for local, legislative, and congressional district offices are filed at Boards of Elections, as well as petitions for local issues and options.
Campaign finance reports for local candidates, political parties, and political action committees are also filed at BOEs.
City editor. 30-year plus journalist. Husband. Father of 3 grown sons and also a proud grandpa. Prior military journalist in U.S. Navy, Ohio Air National Guard. -- Favorite quote: "Where were you when the page was blank?"
