Those who filed petitions by the Wednesday deadline were:
- Beth Donahue, the executive director of the Springfield Domestic Violence Coalition, whose goal is to reduce domestic violence in Springfield. Donahue launched the nonprofit LLC in 2024 to raise awareness and provide support to local victims of domestic violence.
- Incumbent commissioner Bridget Houston, who 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.
- Andy Rigsbee, 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.
- Larry Ricketts, the former Clark County disaster services coordinator who has played a significant leadership role with People for Safe Water, working to clean up the Tremont City Barrel Fill.
- Chris Wallace, 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.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Krystal Brown, who is finishing her first term on city commission, did not file petitions to run for reelection. Brown, who ran as a political newcomer four years ago, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Assistant Mayor Dave Estrop, in his eighth year on city commission, had announced in January that he would not run for reelection, citing a desire for “more time with family.”
The election year comes after city commissioners faced a surge of questions and anger at meetings regarding the city’s response to Haitian immigrants. Springfield was in the national spotlight as national Republican figures spun that serious immigration debate into false rumors about people eating pets.
Candidates for city commission need 250 valid Springfield resident signatures to get on the ballot, Baker said. A runoff election would only have been held if there were seven or more candidates for three seats.
Board of Elections employees are checking petitions now to be ready to present in front of their board Tuesday morning for certification, Baker said.
Board of Elections records show three other people took out petitions for consideration of a run for office — William Monaghan, Rhonda Smith and Robert Spinelli — but they did not file signed petitions by the deadline.
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