Most Findlay primary races uncontested

Most of Findlay's city offices will be uncontested in the May 4 election, with voters set to decide only two primary races. For Republican voters, there is a contested race for Findlay City Council's three at-large seats. Vying for the citywide seats are the incumbents, Grant Russel and Jeff Wobser, along with challengers, former Councilwoman Holly Frische, Andre Gilbert, and Councilman Randy Greeno, R-5. Tom Shindledecker, who now serving his fourth term as an at-large councilman, is not seeking reelection. First-term Councilman Bud Haas Jr. is seeking reelection as representative of the 1st Ward, and will face Republican Brad Wisener in the primary. No Democrats filed for the primary election. Independent candidates have until May 3 to file for the Nov. 2 general election. Early voting starts April 6. Eleven other city candidates will have no opposition in the May primary. Council President John Harrington is unopposed in the Republican primary. Harrington, 63, was first elected to council as an independent write-in candidate in 2013, and served three terms as representative of Findlay's 5th Ward. He was also unopposed in his bid for council president in 2019. Other council incumbents, all Republicans, who are seeking reelection and are unopposed in the primary include: Dennis Hellmann, R-2; Beth Warnecke, R-3; Jim Slough, R-4; Jim Niemeyer, R-6; and Joshua Palmer, R-7. Hellmann, 76, is currently serving his third term on the city council. He retired as the director of external affairs for AT&T in northwestern Ohio. Prior to that, he spent fifteen years as an economic development professional in Toledo and Fostoria, being named "Ohio Economic Developer of the Year" by the Ohio Development Association in 1986. Warnecke, 59, is serving her first term on the council as a representative of the city's 3rd Ward. She is a business owner. Slough, 70, is seeking reelection to a third term in the 4th Ward council seat. He served as council president in 2016-17. He previously served one term as 6th Ward councilman and seven terms as an at-large councilman. He ran against Lydia Mihalik, Brian Robertson and former Mayor Pete Sehnert in the Republican primary for mayor in 2011, a race won by Mihalik. Slough is a realtor with ERA Geyer Noakes Realty Group. Niemeyer, 65, was appointed to the council in November 2014, and then was elected to represent the 6th Ward. He is an employee of Roki America Co. Ltd, Findlay, and owns several rental homes through Niemeyer Enterprises, Findlay. He is the former owner of Needmor Ice and the former Dairy Queen on Western Avenue. Palmer, 38, is a quality technician at Whirlpool Corp., and a veteran of the U.S. Army. He is seeking election to his second term representing Findlay's 7th Ward. Brian Bauman is unopposed in his second bid for Findlay's 5th Ward seat. Bauman vied for the GOP nomination to represent the 5th Ward in May 2019, against both Randy Greeno and David E. Spitler. Greeno won the nomination and was unopposed in the general election. Baumann is a district representative for U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green. He represents Precinct 5-3 on the Republican Central Committee, and serves as treasurer for the Hancock County Republican Party. Also unopposed in the May Republican primary are Findlay Municipal Court Judge Alan Hackenberg and City Treasurer Susan Hite. Hackenberg, 52, was appointed, and later elected, to the bench in 2017. He is currently in the fourth year of the six-year unexpired term, and is seeking his first, full six-year term.Hite, 73, has served as city treasurer since May 2011. Findlay's council president and council members serve two-year terms and are being paid $7,616 this year. The city treasurer serves a four-year term and is currently earning $9,493 yearly for the part-time position. Since 2017, Findlay council members and the city treasurer receive the same yearly pay raise given to nonunion city employees. The amount has not been set for 2022, when the new terms will begin. The municipal court judge serves a six-year term. This year, a municipal court judge's salary, mandated by the state of Ohio, is $143,701. The city of Findlay pays $61,750 towards the judge's salary, and the state pays the remaining balance. Grant: 419-427-8412