UPDATED: Highland County voters to consider several contested races in November's general election

The Highland County Board of Elections met Tuesday to certify candidate petitions, questions and issues for the Nov. 4 general election, which will see contested races in several offices, including Greenfield’s first mayoral race in over a decade.

This article has been updated to reflect the official information provided by the Board of Elections Wednesday morning.

Three individuals have filed petitions for the Greenfield mayor’s race, including former council members Christopher Borreson and Kevin Curren and current council member Cory Taylor. 

As previously reported, in the November 2024 general election, voters opted to “abandon the City Manager Plan,” overturning the plan that was chosen by voters 17 years earlier. On May 8, 2007, Greenfield voters approved organizing the village under a new city manager form of government as provided in Ohio Revised Code 705.41-705.86. 

According to Highland County Board of Elections Director Michelle Swallen, “The new system will take effect following the next regular municipal election in November 2025. The office of mayor [will] appear on the ballot, with the highest vote-getter assuming office on the first day of January 2026. The elected Mayor shall appoint a director of public service, a director of public safety, treasurer and solicitor.”

As part of the new plan, the Greenfield council will also be reduced from five members to three, and six individuals had their petitions. However, all six individuals are listed as candidates for the two four-year terms commencing Jan. 1, 2026, with no candidates filing for the one two-year term commencing Jan. 1.

Those filing petitions (two to be elected) include current council members Brenda Losey and Carlos Ooten, as well as former council member Amie Ernst and former village employee Margaret Mobley, along with Barbara Borreson and David Weaks.

The City of Hillsboro had council and treasurer candidates file petitions prior to the May primary, where there were no contested races. Since then, there have been two changes, with Cody Mathews now confirmed as a nonpartisan candidate for city council at large. He willl face previously announced Republican candidates Tracy Aranyos, Heith Brown and Logan Kelly, with four candidates vying for three open seats. 

The city’s other change was for the Hillsboro treasurer position, where Linda Conrad was nominated by the Republican Central Committee’s Hillsboro representatives to run this November. Conrad was appointed in July to fill the vacancy in that office, as former treasurer Cristal Kier — who had filed petitions ahead of the May primary — resigned. Conrad is the fifth treasurer to fill the current term, which began with her husband, Steve Conrad, originally being elected to the position in the November 2021 general election.

Those already reported as seeking reelection (all unopposed) are Hillsboro council president Tom Eichinger, a Republican; Ward 1 representative Adam Wilkin, a Republican; Ward 3 representative Daniel Baucher, a nonpartisan candidate; and Ward 4 representative Mary Stanforth, a Democrat. Gary Lewis, a Republican, is the lone candidate seeking election to Ward 2. 

Other village council races around the county show fewer candidates than open seats. In Lynchburg (four open seats), current council members Christine Hamlin and David Minton are running for reelection. In Mowrystown (also four open seats), Rebecca Allen and Linda Zinser, both current council members, were confirmed as valid. For Leesburg (four open seats), former mayor and council member Shawn Priest is the only candidate.

There are two open seats for Sinking Spring’s village council unexpired term (ending in 2027), with current council member John Martinez being the only candidate confirmed. There was no valid candidate for the village mayor’s race to fill the unexpired term ending in 2027. For the rest of Sinking Spring’s council, there are four open seats, with current council members Donnie Bentley and Matthew Keaton on the ballot.

No valid candidates filed for the Highland Village Council, which has four seats up for election.

Township trustees are also up for election this year, with several contested races as two candidates will be elected in each township. 

The township with the most trustee candidates is Liberty, as current trustees Tyler Kelch and Joseph Middleton have filed valid petitions, as have Keenan Brault, Billy Groves and Rhonda Hassman. 

In Brushcreek Township, those with “valid” petitions are current trustees Steve Elliott and Nick Greiner, as well as Cody Egner and Joshua Ryan. Paint Township also has four candidates on the ballot, including incumbents Steve Karnes and Corey Miller, plus Josh Carroll and Scott Lovett.

The only township with fewer candidates than positions is Madison, where Zane Hamilton is the only candidate listed with valid petitions.

Running unopposed are Concord Township trustees Jason Campbell and Tony Gulley; Clay Township trustee Michael Truman and candidate Ron Ellis; Dodson Township trustees Randy Todd Mitchell and Ty Smith; Fairfield Township trustees Michael Pfister and Kenny Stevens; Hamer Township trustees Jon Holbrook and Bruce Leininger; Jackson Township trustees Chad Frazer and a write-in candidate (per Swallen); Marshall Township trustees Tim Sheeley and Clinton Shoemaker; New Market Township trustees Kevin Fawley and Kenneth Harless; Penn Township trustees Jay Duncan and Derek Watson; Salem Township trustees J.R. Roush and Shane Simmons; Union Township trustees Russell Herdman and Scott Lindsey; Washington Township trustees Michael Countryman and Travis Mootz; Whiteoak Township trustees Butch Bratton and Justin Newell.

Also running unopposed is current Paint Township fiscal officer Angela Mustard, who was appointed to fill the unexpired term (ending in March 2028).

November’s ballot will also include local school board races, with Highland County voters likely considering contested races in some areas. Some of these districts may be pending due to other counties’ boards of elections certifying petitions.

For voters in the Adams County/Ohio Valley Schools district, there are six candidates listed as valid for three open seats. Those include current board members Robin Lucas and Gay Lynn Shipley, as well as Trent Arey, Benjamin Hilderbrand, Paula McIntosh and Timothy Morrison. 

Greenfield Exempted Village Schools have four “valid” candidates for three seats, with current board members Rachel Fraley, Marilyn Mitchell and Eric Zint being challenged by former board member Charley Roman.

Hillsboro City Schools has three current board members running unopposed in Larry Lyons, Beverly Rhoads and Jerry Walker. Current Bright Local board members Steven Cox and Angela Wright will also look to retain their seats as they run unopposed. Listed as unopposed candidates for Lynchburg-Clay Local are current board members Susan Blankenship and Richard Warner.

For Fairfield Local, current board member Matthew Steven Jackson and candidate Caleb Worley have valid petitions.

No valid candidates filed in Highland County for East Clinton (three open seats), Eastern Local (two open seats), Fayetteville Perry Local (two seats) or Miami Trace Local (three open seats), or for the District 8 member of the Southern Ohio ESC Governing Board or the Brown County ESC Governing Board.

There are four local issues on the ballot, all regarding the sale of alcohol. Those include a Sunday sales local option for Hillsboro’s new Aldi (Issue 1) for Hillsboro Northwest voters; one for the sale of spiritous liquors in Marshall Township (Issue 2); one for beer sales, also in Marshall Township (Issue 3); and one for Sunday sales at Sunoco for Hillsboro Southeast voters.

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