Candidates participate in forum

The American Legion Post 97 in Cardington was full of Republican primary voters eager to listen to the candidates who will be on the ballot on March 19.

The evening began with a word of prayer by retiring Morrow County Recorder Dixie Shinaberry, followed by Gilead Township Fiscal Officer Ric Lyle leading the Pledge of Allegiance. The Legion Post’s Ladies Auxiliary sold refreshments throughout the event. Retired Cardington-Lincoln Local Schools Superintendent Pat Drouhard and Cardington Township Trustee Michael Patterson served as the moderators with Lyle being in the role as timekeeper.

With County Engineer Bart Dennison absent, County Treasurer Jim Jahn kicked off the night speaking about his background and tenure in the post since his appointment in early 2023. His main goal since entering the office has been to reduce the amount of delinquent property taxes. That amount has currently plummeted to just over $1 million after being over $3 million in January 2023. He reported on Morrow County’s investments earning over $1 million in interest over the course of the past year and the beginnings of switching to online payments for property taxes and other fees.

Sheri Clever, Morrow County clerk of courts, provided a bit on her background since assuming the office after Kim Bood’s resignation. She has been employed by the Morrow County court system since 2002 and described her role in modernizing the procedures by allowing for online services for filing documents for court cases and paying court costs. Following her was Sheriff John Hinton, Judge Robert Hickson Jr., and Commissioner Tim Abraham.

Abraham spoke about the “improvements with the situation with the hospital board,” and the need of facility upgrades at the county jail.

Dennison, Jahn, Clever, Hinton, Hickson Jr., and Abraham are all running unopposed this spring.

Next, Erin Bender, spokesperson for the Morrow County OSU Extension services levy, provided the reasons to support the levy’s renewal and described how the 4-H program and office has assisted her family since moving to Morrow County almost two decades ago. The issue is up for a five-year, 0.5-mill renewal.

To close out the night, the contested races of county recorder, county prosecutor, and the other seat for county commissioner featured questions to each candidate from the moderators and attendees.

The race for Morrow County recorder has five candidates: Jennifer Kimmey, Jerry Newell, Cathie Robinson, Brandon Strain and Dawn Vanderkooi. Each candidate was asked two questions: one about the current department’s website and accessibility to records, and budget for the office.

When it came to the website, Vanderkooi simply did not have an answer when it came to evaluating and looking at other county recorder’s websites in the state of Ohio beside the one she works with daily in Marion County. Strain suggested that improvements could be made to the website with the addition of property deeds and mortgages for each individual property in Morrow County. Robinson stated that while the website did need upgrades, she was concerned that the office would lose money because they would not need to have residents pay for paper copies of documents. Drouhard offered a rebuttal with question whether her intention for the office was about making money or serving the citizens. Robinson came back with budget concerns, especially with the county commissioners having to set priorities in the annual budget. Then, Newell brought House Bill 181, that is presently in the Ohio Senate, to the attention of voters, which would require each county recorder’s office to put property deeds and other supporting documents online. Kimmey mentioned the impending changes that House Bill 181 would make if enacted. She continued with mentioning her taking initiative and setting up a meeting with state Sen. Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware) to discuss more details about the bill.

Continuing into the budget question about controlling expenses within the recorder’s office budget, Newell said that the budget will be affected by the potential passage of House Bill 181, and there will be a ripple effect through other county offices. Kimmey commented that staying with the proposed appropriations submitted to the county commissioners should be a goal, and there will need an ability to receive grant monies to assist in funding the office’s operations. Strain said the necessary upgrades are needed and paying for them now would benefit the citizens. Robinson and Vanderkooi offered no comment.

In the back half of the forum, the candidates for the contested county commissioner’s race, Chris Sherbourne and Tim Siegfried, offered statements and answered a handful of questions.

Sherbourne is currently a three-term village council member for Mount Gilead, while Siegfried is the incumbent in the contest.

In the first question regarding top issues in Morrow County, Sherbourne stated the two biggest needs are more in-county occupations and affordable housing. He cited the statistic of 82% of working Morrow County residents driving outside the county for employment. Additionally, he said the need for more housing and connecting real estate developers with townships and villages. Siegfried discussed the need for more and better infrastructure, especially the water and sewer systems across the entire county. Sherbourne stressed the need for better communication between the local and county officials when it comes to growth and other issues. When it came to development, Siegfried said he seeks “controlled growth” and that “Morrow County is still a rural county.” He continued on with discussing the created position of director of operations for Morrow County that is utilizing the tools through the new development authority for outside developers to consider setting up businesses and other establishments. Continuing along the communication aspect, Sherbourne said there is a need for commissioners meetings to take place sometimes at night for more accessibility and visibility, while Siegfried said the current county commission is considering doing some town halls.

Early voting begins Tuesday, Feb. 20, at the Morrow County Board of Elections Office in Mount Gilead, and applications for the absentee ballots are due by Tuesday, March 12. In-person voting at precincts will take place on Tuesday, March 19.

Editor’s note: The Sentinel will feature the prosecutor’s race in an upcoming article.

Quinn Maceyko is a correspondent for the Morrow County Sentinel.