Former Health Commissioner Patterson and former Springfield City Commissioner O’Neill ran for the seat being vacated by Commissioner Lowell McGlothin, who is not seeking reelection.
Patterson was the Clark County health commissioner for about 23 years, with a 34-year career in total. As health commissioner, Patterson worked on passing a countywide levy to fund the newly combined health district. He also managed Anthrax incidents, a mass flu shot clinic that vaccinated more than 7,000 people in one day, H1N1 vaccinations and challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
O’Neill served on the Springfield City Commission for 32 years, losing reelection to newcomer Tracey Tackett last year. O’Neill is a Springfield native and Catholic Central graduate. His resume includes serving as a real estate developer/builder, restaurant owner and caterer.
The incoming commissioner will handle concerns related to the large population of Haitian immigrants there are in the area, with an estimated 12,000 to 15,000.
Patterson, as health commissioner, had worked on mitigating the impacts to the community with a large group of new people coming in causing some strain to infrastructure. He said previously that social media makes it “too easy for people to pass on stuff that’s not true.”
O’Neill and Patterson have both been part of efforts to clean up the Tremont City Barrel Fill. The 8.5-acre site in northern German Twp. was used to dump industrial waste from 1976 to 1979. It’s estimated over 1.5 million gallons of hazardous waste is buried at the location, which is adjacent to an aquifer that provides water to not only Springfield and Clark County, but much of southwestern Ohio.
Champaign County sheriff
Champaign County will see a new sheriff, with Chad Burroughs defeating Tim Durham, according to final, unofficial results from the county board of elections.
Burroughs, who defeated incumbent Sheriff Matthew Melvin in the March Republican primary, got 66.8% of the vote, while Durham got 33.2%, a high percentage for a write-in, but not nearly enough to win.
Durham is a court bailiff, deputy clerk and recently retired assistant patrol commander from the Ohio State Highway Patrol. He said he has done law enforcement work in Champaign, Clark, Logan and Union counties for many years.
He joined the race after the primaries, and has said he would have a non-partisan approach to the job.
Burroughs is an auxiliary officer at the Washington Twp. Police Department, who also manages a family cattle and farming operation in Champaign County. He has run for sheriff multiple times in the last several years, beating Melvin out in the primary following a recount of votes.
Burroughs said previously his top priorities include focusing on creating a safer and more connected county by working to unite first responders, law enforcement, fire departments and emergency medical services.
Champaign County coroner
Two primary care physicians faced off in the race for coroner in Champaign County, with Republican Steven Tornik facing independent Kaleb Deam.
Tornik beat Deam by a 60-40 ratio.
Current coroner Joshua Richards is retiring from the position.
Tornik has owned and managed a primary care office for more than 17 years. He has his own practice in Plain City. He is from Cable, and he 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.
Deam works for Linscott Family Practice and told the News-Sun previously that he ran to serve the community and because of his passion.
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