Polls closed in Clark County on Tuesday evening for this year’s general election that saw residents select new judges, Springfield commissioners and local officials in townships and villages in the county.
Voters in competitive township races in the county stuck with incumbents and in some cases supported those elected officials that have been in office for over 20 years. That was the case in Springfield Twp. and Bethel Twp.
Here is a look at those competitive races, the candidates and what voters decided.
Springfield Twp.
Two incumbents will serve another term in Springfield Twp., according to the unofficial election results from the Clark County Board of Elections.
Both Jim Scoby and John Roeder were seeking reelection. Scoby had been in his current position since 2000, and Roeder was elected in 2018. They faced a challenge from political newcomer Springfield Twp. resident Seth Flora.
There are three trustees for Springfield Twp.
Scoby led the race with 38.38% of the vote and was followed closely by Roeder, who had 37.24% of the vote, while Flora garnered 24.38% of the vote.
Scoby is serving is fifth term as township trustee, which will end this year. He will start his sixth term early 2022.
He said that he felt truly humbled that people have put their trust in him as a leader for another term.
“I think people appreciate the fact that we do care about them and we try to do everything we can to try to make life better and safer,” Scoby said Tuesday night.
Roeder is a lifelong resident of the township and previously served as fire chief at the Springfield Twp. Fire Department. He wanted to seek reelection due to being involved with the township for his entire adult life either as a seasonal road worker or a volunteer firefighter.
“I am always engaged as evidenced by the time I have spent working for the township residents,” Roeder said.
Flora is a lifelong resident of Springfield Twp., and said that he decided to run for the first time since he believed it would be the best way to serve his community.
Bethel Twp.
Two incumbents won reelection during Bethel Twp.’s Board of Trustees race, including one who has served in that position for two decades.
Nancy Brown, who has held the trustee seat for 20 years, and Dan Minton, who has been a trustee for eight years, faced a challenge from attorney Christopher Leapley, who has not held a trustee seat in the past.
Minton led the race Tuesday night with 36.97% of the vote, followed closely by Brown, who had 36.94% of the vote. Leapley had 26.1% of the vote.
Bethel Twp. has three trustees who make decisions in regard to roads, waste disposal, emergency services, police protection, parks and revenue derived from property taxes.
Brown said she was seeking another term to continue spending limited resources wisely, working with other political bodies to share benefits and seeking grant funding.
“I believe the knowledge and experience I have gained during this time enhanced my ability to fulfill the responsibilities of the office, and I look forward to continuing to serve in this position for another term,” Brown previously told this news organization.
Her fellow trustee Minton said that if reelected, he would continue his support of the fire and EMS department, “ensuring up-to-date equipment to serve the community and keeping close communication with the Sheriff’s office.”
Leapley is a lifelong resident of the township and said that he wanted to bring new ideas and leadership to the board of trustees.
The attorney holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Dayton, as well as a bachelor’s degree from Wright State University.
Mad River Twp.
An incumbent and an employee of the Clark County Engineer will serve terms as trustees in Mad River Twp.
Jay Young was appointed to a trustee seat in March 2020 to fill the vacancy left by former Trustee Joe Catanzaro. He won his bid for another term on Tuesday. Candidate Robert W. McClure, who has been employed by the Clark County Engineer for 22 years, also won a seat.
Young and McClure were running against Kathleen Baber and Jeremy E. Whitacre, who served on the village of Enon’s council and wanted to transition into a trustee role.
Mad River Twp. has three trustees who make decisions in regard to roads, waste disposal, emergency services, police protection, parks and revenue derived from property taxes.
Young had 26.49% of the vote, McClure had 25.99%, Whitacre had 25.45% and Baber had 22.07% of the vote, according to the Clark County Board of Elections.
Young is a lifelong Mad River Twp. resident who is an owner and manager of Young’s Jersey Dairy, his family’s business.
Young was seeking to continue his role as trustee, he said, because he had been a volunteer in many aspects in his life and he wanted to serve his community as trustee.
McClure said as trustee he would work to improve the maintenance of township roadways, to improve staffing issues with the emergency services and to earn the trust of the community.
“I believe I have the knowledge and experience needed to make informed and necessary decisions concerning our aging roads and infrastructure, as well as challenges facing the EMS,” McClure previously told this news organization.
Whitacre is a lifelong Mad River Twp. resident who served on the village of Enon’s council and wanted to transition into a trustee role.
“It has been an honor serving as a councilman for the village of Enon the past six years, while I thoroughly enjoy serving on this board I thought it was time to take on a new challenge,” he said.
Baber said she was a challenger looking to bring a “fresh voice” during this year’s race for a trustee seat.
Baber entered into the public sphere over an application from a development company to build a housing development on Stine Road.
Baber and other township residents organized meetings and submitted a petition in regard to the rezoning in their community. A referendum challenging the rezoning appeared on this year’s November ballot.
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