Donahue not on ballot
Beth Donahue, executive director of the Springfield Domestic Violence Coalition, was the fifth person who filed petitions to run for city commission, turning in more than the required 250 signatures. It is common that some people who sign political candidates' petitions turn out not to be registered voters, or live outside the jurisdiction the candidate is running for.
Board of Elections Director Jason Baker said after some invalid signatures were eliminated, Donahue had only 236 valid signatures, and therefore was not certified to the ballot.
“I am incredibly proud of the campaign we ran,” Donahue told her supporters on her Facebook page. “We engaged with so many people, listened to their stories, and built a movement of passionate individuals who believe in a better future for our city.”
Brown not running, cites hate
Houston is the only incumbent in the race because Vice Mayor David Estrop and commission member Krystal Brown decided not to run for reelection. Estrop said last month that after two terms on commission, he wanted to spend more time with family.
At Tuesday’s commission meeting, after a city resident’s racist comments about Haitian immigrants, Brown said she is vacating her seat after one term in part due the “vileness” coming from some citizens since August 2023. She said that she feels kinship with Haitians as a Black American and product of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, and that sitting back listening to racist comments “has been a heavy, heavy burden to bear.”
Brown said through her position, she has met residents with whom she would never have had contact before, and while they disagree, they have had dialogue.
“I’m looking forward to seeing this city move forward,” Brown said. “I feel like I’m constrained in this seat for so many things; I’ve not done the level of community service that I once did from this seat. I may not be in this seat, but I will continue to serve Springfield in the way that I serve Springfield and which is why I was elected to this seat. It’s not the end of me.”
The four who are on the ballot
Chris Wallace is a community mentor supervisor for the Springfield City Schools, who has worked for the district since 2016. He has also coached football and basketball for Springfield High School. In the early 1990s, he was a star quarterback at South HS, going on to play at Toledo.
Bridget Houston was appointed to fill the seat Rob Rue vacated when he became mayor. Houston is a diagnostic imaging key account manager with Philips Healthcare, and moved to Springfield five years ago with her husband. She also serves on the Springfield Arts Council and the United Way Planning Committee.
Larry Ricketts is the former Clark County disaster services coordinator and has played a significant leadership role with People for Safe Water, working to clean up the Tremont City Barrel Fill.
Andy Rigsbee is a former firefighter/paramedic who served with the Springfield Fire Rescue Division for 26 years. He is a lifelong Springfield resident who also served nine years as president of the Springfield Professional Firefighters union.
The 2025 election year comes after city commissioners faced a surge of questions and anger at meetings regarding the city’s response to Haitian immigration. Springfield was in the national spotlight as national Republican figures spun that serious immigration debate into false rumors about people eating pets.
About the Author
