NEWCOMER WINS; FLORES HOLDS ON

Chaffin wins GOP primary for Council president

At least one new face will go forward in the race for Lorain City Council in November.

In the May 2 primary election, challenger Beth Henley beat incumbent Lorain Councilman Brian Gates in the Democratic primary for Lorain’s Ward 1 seat on City Council.

Henley won 215-115 over Gates, according to unofficial results from the Lorain County Board of Elections.

“Right now, I’m doing pretty good,” Henley said as she celebrated with family and friends at home. “I just got the news – I guess I won. Awesome. Awesome. I’m thrilled.”

She thanked her campaign crew, family and friends old and new.

“Together, we’re going to make the First Ward a much nicer place to live,” she said.

Henley, 61, is operations manager for Hennie Homes, Randall House Properties, R & H Development and associated companies in North

Olmsted. She made her first run for elected office.

Gates, 39, has been the Ward 1 councilman from 2010 to present.

Meanwhile, incumbent Councilman Dennis Flores held off Charlesetta Brown in the Democratic primary for Lorain’s Ward 2 Council seat.

Flores won 176-154, according to unofficial results.

In the at-large race among Democrats, incumbents Mary Springowski, Mitch Fallis and Joe Koziura will go on to the November race. Springowski received 1,332 votes, Fallis got 1,067 votes and Koziura garnered 951 votes to top challenger Matt Harkins, who received 849 votes in his second run for Council.

The candidates will face Trina Smith, a Republican write-in candidate, in the November election.

Springowski was the top vote getter among at-large Council candidates in the primary and general elections in 2015.

The May 2 result “proves that it wasn’t a fluke, that people do support me,” she said.

“And I am tremendously gratified by that and it shows that they do believe somebody is speaking for them on Council and listening to them and trying to address their problems,” Springowski said.

Also, May 2 was her 20th wedding anniversary with her husband, Tom, so the election result was an excellent anniversary gift.

Harkins said he plans to stay involved in Lorain events and continue to attend Council meetings.

He said he wishes the best for the winning candidates from May 2.

Springowski also credited her fellow candidates for civil campaigns; she said on May 2, she traded friendly social media and text messages with Koziura and Harkins.

On the Republican side, Amelia Chaffin received 215 votes to top Earnest Robinson, who received 162 votes, to become the candidate to run for president of Council.

Chaffin will challenge Democratic incumbent Joel Arredondo for that post.

ERIC BONZAR — THE MORNING JOURNAL Under the guidance of bilingual Precinct Election Official Patty Mendez, left, 88-year-old Anna M. Cruz, of Lorain, casts her ballot at the Black River Landing and Transportation Center polling precinct, May 2.

ERIC BONZAR — THE MORNING JOURNAL Mary Beth Jaeger, of Vermilion, casts her ballot at the Ritter Public Library polling precinct, May 2. Four candidates entered the mayoral race after sitting Mayor Eileen Bulan stated she would be stepping down at the conclusion of her current fouryear...