Steven Tornik
Tornik, who has his own private practice in Plain City, said he is running because he always had a calling for public service.
“When I heard that Dr. Richards was retiring, I felt it was my public duty to step up and run for the position,” he said.
Tornik said he believes he should be elected because he has owned and managed a successful primary care office for over 17 years, has “extensive experience” in seeing hundreds of thousands of office appointments as a primary care physician, and has been working in healthcare for over 25 years.
He said he understands how to run an efficient and cost-effective operation because he is “one of the very few remaining privately owned primary care offices,” and has a “proven track record” of compassionate patient care.
“If elected, my top priority as coroner is to provide the county with cost-effective and efficient service while also delivering compassionate care to the families of the deceased,” he said.
Tornik, from Cable, graduated from Jonathan Alder High School, attended Ohio Dominican College and medical school at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, and completed internship and residency at OhioHealth Doctors Hospital.
Kaleb Deam
Deam, who works for Linscott Family Practice, a Central Ohio Primary Care office, said he is running for coroner to serve the local community and because of his passion.
“Through my personal and professional life, I have experienced death in many ways. From these life experiences, I have developed a heart for the hurting and grieving. This passion coupled with my desire to serve my local community have led me to run for coroner,” he said.
Deam said he believes he is the best choice because of his “empathy, humility and passion.” He said he knows the local community, first responders and law enforcement, and has gotten the chance to know and learn from the current coroner to create a “smooth and successful transition.”
If elected, Deam’s said his top priorities will be to serve and protect the well-being of the community “by providing accurate, thorough, yet timely” investigations; to be a proactive coroner by “helping to prevent death and not solely reactive by investigating the cause of death,” and maintain a cost effective budget to stay debt free and “make decisions out of strength rather than out of need.”
Deam said to address his priorities, the coroner must be available, approachable and personable to help with collaborations with law enforcement, first responders and primary care providers. He said he will implement a quarterly review committee with the health department and law enforcement for overdose, suicide and motor vehicle deaths to find trends and see where more resources and outreach are needed. He said he will work to limit autopsies, which he called “the single largest expense costing the county around $2,000 per case.”
“With a proactive approach to help limit unnatural deaths and by prioritizing thorough investigations, autopsies are not always needed,” Deam said. “When the cause of death can be determined quickly, accurately and without an autopsy, the deceased’s loved ones can have peace and begin the grieving process sooner as well.”
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