He was first elected to a commission seat in 2010 and served as the commission’s president from 2011 to 2019. His term expires at the end of this year.
Prior to his role as commissioner, Lohnes served as commander of the 178th Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard. He is a graduate of Shawnee High School, as well as Capital University in Columbus.
The four candidates looking to replace Lohnes are Rich Holt, New Carlisle Mayor Mike Lowery, William Lindsey and Sasha Rittenhouse.
No Democrats filed petitions for the county commission race this year.
Rich Holt
A Springfield resident and political consultant, Holt has been on the organizational side of electioneering for years, working with Republican candidates such as Jim Jordan in multiple states to run their campaigns. Now, Holt is throwing his own hat in the ring.
Holt, who comes from a few generations of Clark County residents, said he returned to the area after years of serving in the Army Corps of Engineers and working multiple campaign cycles because “Clark County always felt like home.”
He was inspired to run for local office after the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the country went into lockdown: something Holt referred to as the “ultimate test of Constitutional rights,” which he feels Ohio’s leaders failed.
Holt said he feels that county government is the “nuts and bolts” of political action.
“A lot of good can be done on the county level,” he said. “And what I care about more than anything is my community.”
Holt said that he hopes to bring his vision for the county’s future to the table if elected, pointing to the projected growth of Columbus in a few decades and Clark County’s proximity to major international airports and cities. He said Clark County has the potential to become a hub for the rapidly growing high technology industry.
Holt said he also would want to address public transportation in Clark County if elected, looking into ways to connect the county to major cities.
Bolstering and expanding community gardens in the county could also be a potential local solution to the area’s food insecurity, another area Holt said he would aim to improve if elected.
Holt said he would also work to boost resources for the county’s law enforcement agencies, aiming to bring an additional 10 deputies to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
He is a graduate of The Ohio University.
William Lindsey
Lindsey was first elected as a member of New Carlisle’s city council in 2015, and he also served as the city’s vice-mayor for two years.
He’s running for a county commission seat because he wants to participate in local government on a broader scale. He thought this would be the right time since Lohnes isn’t running for re-election, Lindsey said. .
If elected, he would focus on fiscal transparency and government transparency. He pointed to commission meetings being held in the mornings each Wednesday, and said he felt Clark Countians would be better able to voice their thoughts on county items if the meetings were held in the evenings.
“Morning meetings aren’t good for public involvement,” he said.
Lindsey said he would work to limit government spending if elected. He also said he would work to support the county’s police force.
Lindsey has experience with the Vandalia Fire Department and has owned and ran a small business.
Mike Lowrey
Lowrey, a New Carlisle native, is running for a county commission seat because he wants to serve as a voice for villages and towns throughout the county, and carry out similar projects to what he’s seen completed in his city, he said.
Although he’s currently a public servant — he’s in his third full-term as mayor — he dislikes the word “politician.”
“I try not be someone who is all talk,” he said. “To me, your job is not only when you’re in front of a camera and behind a table. ... it’s so much more.”
Lowrey, who also works at Wright-Patterson Air Force base, said he takes pride in the projects he has helped with in his hometown. They include efforts to revitalize the city’s pool, which recently turned a profit for the first year the city has owned it, the city’s longest-running festival, the Heritage of Flight and the city’s New Year’s Eve event. Lowrey also pointed to the city’s Gravity-X Skateboard & Jamskate Competition, which he started with his wife April two summers ago.
“It’s been a really positive experience for kids in the city,” he said.
Lowrey said he hopes to broaden his scope and work on the county level.
“I want to carry on all the good work done in New Carlisle,” he said.
Sasha Rittenhouse
Rittenhouse of New Carlisle formerly served as the president of the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association — the first woman to hold the title in the club’s nearly 70-year history.
Her experience working as a liaison between club members and legislators, Rittenhouse said, was rewarding, and it inspired her to look toward public office as a way to serve her home county.
Rittenhouse said that working for her dad’s grocery chain instilled in her the value of working toward your passions. For her, the passions are agriculture and community service, two things she has been able to combine locally.
Rittenhouse and her family are heavily involved in Clark County’s local 4-H and FFA programming, and she has coordinated efforts to raise funding for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Ronald McDonald House through youth agriculture programming.
If elected, Rittenhouse said she would focus on several projects: supporting law enforcement during the ongoing opioid epidemic, navigating the balance between urban development and preserving rural land, and building the county’s fairgrounds into a “national destination.”
Rittenhouse operates two agricultural businesses with her husband, where she manages payroll and other administrative responsibilities and also cares for cattle.
She is a graduate of Northwestern High School, and she has degrees in agricultural business and animal science from Clark State College and the Ohio State University.
The deadline to register to vote in the primary election is April 4. Early voting kicks off on April 5. Clark County registered voters can vote at the Clark County Board of Election’s office located at 3130 E. Main St. in Springfield.
More information about voting hours can be found on the county’s election board website.
The primary election will be held on Tuesday, May 3.
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU VOTE:
• Early voting is at the board of elections office. The Clark County Board of Elections is located at 3130 E. Main St. (formerly E. National Rd.) Springfield. The hours are: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through April 22; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. from April 25 to April 29; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 30; 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 1; and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 2.
• All vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by Monday, May 2. You may have to ask your post office to postmark the envelope. You may hand-deliver your vote-by-mail ballot to the elections office any time until 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
• Election Day is May 3, and polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and if you are in line when polls close you will be allowed to cast a ballot.
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