Marion County primary election results are certified
There were no significant changes to the final outcomes in the Marion County primary election following the official canvass. The board of elections certified the official results when it met on Monday.
In the Republican Party primary election for the 3rd Ward seat on Marion City Council, incumbent Jason Schaber finished with 98 total votes and his challenger Carie Fuller ended up with 67 votes. Schaber netted one extra vote as a result of the official canvass. Fuller’s vote count remained the same.
Schaber will now face Democratic Party candidate William Moodie in the general election. Moodie is a newcomer to the political scene in Marion, seeking office for the first time. He is a deputy clerk for the Marion County Clerk of Courts.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from The Ohio State University at Marion and a master’s degree in history from United Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Welcome W. “Bill” Collins handily won the Republican Party primary for mayor of the City of Marion, defeating Susan Mcgowan. The final official election results showed Collins with 922 votes to 202 votes for Mcgowan. Collins gained 15 votes and Mcgowan netted another five votes following the official canvass.
Collins will face two candidates in the general election race for mayor in November. Democratic Party candidate Glenn D. Coble ran without opposition in the primary election. Coble previously ran for the 86th District seat in the Ohio House of Representatives in 2018 and ran for Marion Township Trustee in 2013.
Bobbie Meachem, a newcomer to the political scene in Marion, has filed a petition to run as an independent candidate in the general election, pending final approval by the Marion County Board of Elections.
The board will meet at 5 p.m. on June 6 to review and either certify or reject the candidate petitions.
Including Meachem, a total of four independent candidates have filed petitions to run for City of Marion elected offices in the November general election.
Jennifer Ryan, chief probation officer for the Marion County Common Pleas Court, is seeking to become the next judge of Marion Municipal Court. She will face longtime incumbent Judge Teresa L. Ballinger in the general election. She was appointed to the municipal court bench in 2004 and was elected in 2005. She is now serving her third term as judge. Ballinger ran without opposition in the primary election.
Marion Auditor Miranda Meginness is seeking election to the position after being appointed by the Marion County Republican Party Central Committee to fill the vacancy created when former Auditor Robert Landon resigned in October 2021. Meginness resigned from the Republican Party in July 2022, announcing her intention to run as an independent last October. No other candidates have filed petitions seeking to run for Marion auditor.
Marion City Council will have a new president in 2024 after incumbent Todd Schneider chose not to seek reelection. Theresa Lubke has announced her intention and filed a petition to run for Marion City Council president as an independent candidate. A former executive director of the Marion Family YMCA, who is now working as a consultant, Lubke has been active in local politics as a member of the League of Women Voters.
Republican Party member Mary Stoneburner is also running for Marion City Council president. She is a retired teacher who worked for Pleasant Local Schools and has been involved in local politics in recent years. Stoneburner ran without opposition in the May primary election.
River Valley Local Schools had two tax issues on the May 2 primary election ballot and both failed to win support from voters. The final official results for the renewal of a 1% income tax showed 1,062 votes against the issue and 834 votes in favor of it. The election night tally was 1,053 votes against the measure and 821 votes in favor of it.
The official final vote count for the combination $21.1 million bond issue and permanent improvement tax levy showed 1,071 votes against the measure and 829 votes for it. On election night, the unofficial tally was 1,064 votes against the tax issue while 814 people supported it.
There was little change in the final results of the 1st Consolidated Fire District’s bid to pass a replacement and increase of a tax levy to benefit fire protection (5 mills, continuous levy). According to the official results, 429 people voted against the levy while 284 supported it. On election night, the unofficial vote tally was 425 votes against the levy and 279 votes in favor of the measure.
There were no changes at all in the official final vote tallies for the Big Island and Salt Rock township fire levies. Big Island voters backed their measure (2 mills, 5 years), 44-20. Salt Rock Township voters gave their levy (1 mill, 5 years) a clean sweep at the ballot box, 26-0.
In addition to the City of Marion races, the general election ballot in Marion County will feature races for township and village offices and seats on local school boards. The township, village, and school board offices are non-partisan positions. Interested parties have until 4 p.m. on Aug. 9 to file petitions to run for office in the November general election.
For information about elections in Marion County, go to the board of elections website www.boe.ohio.gov/marion.
Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @Andrewaccarter