Wickliffe resident appointed GOP’s 25th District candidate

Wickliffe resident William J. Faehnrich has been appointed the Republican Party’s candidate to square off in November against incumbent Democrat Kenny Yuko for the State Senate 25th District seat.

Faehnrich, 54, replaces Bob Murphy as the GOP candidate. Murphy died in July, about a month after he withdrew from the race due to health issues. Murphy, who was also from Wickliffe, ran un- opposed in the Republican primary in May.

Faehnrich, a software engineer, is a member of the Lake County Republican Party. Last year he ran unsuccessfully for the Ward 3 seat on Wickliffe City Council.

He will face off against Yuko, 68, of Richmond Heights, who is currently serving as the minority leader in the state senate.

In the May primary Yuko defeated challenger state Rep. John E. Barnes.

Yuko is seeking his second-term in the senate. In 2014, he was elected to the seat defeating Republican Hasani Crider with more than 75 percent of the vote.

The 25th District includes Eastlake, Fairport Harbor, Grand River, Lakeline, Mentor Ward 4, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Painesville, parts of Painesville Township, Timberlake, Wickliffe, Willoughby and Willowick in Lake County. It also includes Richmond Heights, South Euclid, Mayfield Heights, Pepper Pike and Beachwood among other eastern Cuyahoga County communities.

Faehnrich