Local candidate petitions certified for May 5 primary election

The Highland County Board of Elections this week certified petitions for the May 5 primary election, as local candidates on the ballot will include two contested judicial races, plus uncontested races for county commissioner, auditor and central committee seats.

As previously reported, each Highland County Common Pleas Court judge seat has two Republican candidates running for office this May, as current Common Pleas Court (General Division) Judge Rocky Coss and Common Pleas Court (Juvenile and Probate) Judge Kevin Greer are in their final respective six-year terms. 
 
For the General Division (felony court), Hillsboro attorney Kathryn Hapner and Greenfield attorney John Judkins are running for office, while for Juvenile and Probate Court, candidates are Hillsboro attorney Allyce Horne and Hillsboro attorney Denny Kirk. (Please click each candidate’s name for more information and background.)

Seeking a second term in office is Highland County Commissioner Brad Roades, who was first elected to the position in 2022 and has served one calendar year as commission president. Roades, a Republican, is running unopposed in the primary. 

Also running unopposed is Highland County Auditor Alex Butler, who was also elected to countywide office in 2022. Butler, a Republican, formerly served as the Hillsboro city auditor.

There are four local levy/option issues listed, with each involving one precinct. Those include an additional cemetery levy for Brushcreek; a tax levy renewal for Marshall; a Sunday sales local option for the Eagles for Greenfield North; and a Sunday sales local option for the Rocky Road Sunoco for Paint Southwest. 

For Highland County central committees, candidates listed are as follows:

• Democratic Central Committee: Kit Lowe (Hillsboro Northeast); Mary Hamilton (Hillsboro Northwest); Charlotte Harbut (Hillsboro Southeast); Jennifer West (Hillsboro Southwest A); Pamela Limes (Hillsboro Southwest B); Freddie Snyder (Leesburg); Jennifer Waterman (Fairfield West); Mindy Walker (Lynchburg); Mary Hawthorne (Dodson); Andy West (Whiteoak); John Knauff (Brushcreek); James Spurlock (Concord); Jolene Walker (Liberty Northeast); Linda Emery (Liberty South); Rob McCray (Madison); Dinah Phillips (Marshall); Joyce D. Ford (New Market); Linda K. Griffith (Paint North); Angela Mustard (Paint Southeast); Carol Gratsch (Paint Southwest); Paul  Hughes (Salem); and Bill Kincaid Jr. (Union). There are no candidates filed for Greenfield North, Greenfield South, Fairfield East, Clay, Hamer, Jackson, Liberty Northwest, Penn or Washington.

• Republican Central Committee: Phyllis Matlack (Greenfield North); Tracy Aranyos (Hillsboro Northeast); Jeffrey A. Beery (Hillsboro Northwest); Roger Huffman (Hillsboro Southeast); Jan Vosper (Hillsboro Southwest A); Richard R. Donley (Hillsboro Southwest B); Shawn C. Priest (Leesburg); Ken Davis (Fairfield West); Richard L. Warner Jr. (Dodson); Linda K. Roush (Whiteoak); Jeff Allen Ryan (Brushcreek); Matthew Willis (Clay); Chuck Emery (Concord); Philip John Weyrich (Jackson); Randy Sanders (Liberty Northeast); Montey Scott (Liberty Northwest); Terry L. Britton (Liberty South); Joanna Mahan (New Market); Roger Ruggles (Paint Southwest); Tina Hughes (Penn); Karen Faust (Salem); and John B. Setty (Washington). There are no candidates filed for Greenfield South, Fairfield East, Lynchburg, Hamer, Madison, Marshall, Paint North, Paint Southeast or Union.

Running for reelection for State Representative is current Rep. Bob Peterson, who is seeking his third consecutive two-year term representing the 91st Ohio House District, which includes all of Fayette, Highland and Pike counties and western Ross County. He will not be opposed by a Republican candidate in the primary but will be facing a Democratic candidate, Amy Wright, in November. Wright, of Washington Court House, is a counselor and Fayette County Democratic Central Committee member.

Voters this year will also consider several statewide offices as well as a U.S. Senate race. Although the deadline for the Ohio Secretary of State to certify petitions is not until Feb. 17, the Secretary has released the following unofficial list of candidates:

• For U.S. Senate: Democrats Sherrod Brown and Ron Kincaid; Republican Jon Husted; Libertarians Jeffrey M. Kanter and William B. Redpath.

• For Governor/Lieutenant Governor of Ohio: Democrats Amy Acton/David Pepper; Republicans Vivek Ramaswamy/Robert A. McColley, Heather Hill/Stuart Moats (R), Casey Putsch/Kimberly C. Georgeton and Renea Turner/Jalen Turner.

• For Attorney General of Ohio: Democrats John J. Kulewicz and Elliott Forhan; Republican Keith Faber.

• For Secretary of State of Ohio: Democrats Bryan Hambley and Allison Russo; Republicans Marcell Strbich and Robert Sprague; Libertarian Tom Pruss.

• For Auditor of State of Ohio: Democrat Annette Blackwell; Republican Frank LaRose.

• For Treasurer of State of Ohio: Democrat Seth Walsh; Republicans Kristina D. Roegner and Jay Edwards.

• For Ohio Supreme Court (term ending Dec. 31, 2032): Democrat Marilyn Zayas; Republican
Daniel R. Hawkins.

• For Ohio Supreme Court (term ending Jan. 1, 2033): Democrat Jennifer Brunner; Republicans Jill Lanzinger, Colleen O'Donnell, Ronald Lewis and Andrew King.

The registration deadline is April 6, with early voting starting April 7.

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