Three-term Findlay councilman unable to seek reelection

Three-term Findlay City Councilman Jim Slough, R-4, will be unable to seek reelection to the post in this year's elections. Due to a shortage of signatures, the Hancock County Board of Elections rejected his candidate petitions on Monday for the May 2 primary election. Candidates wanting to represent one of Findlay's seven wards are required to gather 25 valid signatures from supporters in their ward. Ohio law prohibits candidates with rejected election petitions from attempting to run for the office again as either an independent or write-in candidate during the election cycle. On Tuesday, Slough said, "It's unfortunate, but it's my fault. There's no one else to blame." The board also rejected the petitions of Republican Michael Gentry, 722 Red Fox Road, who had filed to seek his party's nomination for 2nd Ward councilman. The failed petition leaves incumbent Councilman Dennis Hellmann, a Republican, unopposed in the primary. Gentry's petition was also short on signatures and will he be unable to seek election to the post this year. Hellmann is a four-term Findlay councilman. A petition filed by Wolfies Carry Out, Precinct 6D, for a local option, Sunday sales of off-premise beer, wine and mixed beverages license, was also rejected by the elections board due to a shortage of valid signatures. All other candidate and issue petitions have been certified by the elections board for the May ballot. Every city office, with the exception of the treasurer, is up for election. That includes the mayor, auditor, law director, all ward and at-large council seats, council president and municipal court judge. Most will go unchallenged in the primary. Independent and write-in candidates could still enter the Nov. 7 general election and vie for a city office. The filing deadline for independent candidates is May 1, and the filing deadline for write-in candidates is Aug. 28. Findlay's Republican voters will decide two city races in the May election, with a contested race for mayor and council representative of the 3rd Ward. Newcomer Haydee Sadler will challenge Mayor Christina Muryn for the Republican nomination. Muryn was appointed as Findlay's mayor in 2019, and was then elected to the position. She is serving her first full, four-year term. Sadler, 47, of 220 Defiance Ave., is a financial administrator. She ran in August 2022 for the Republican woman's seat on the State Central Committee for the 1st Senatorial District. She finished third in the three-way race, with the seat going to Gina R. Campbell. The mayor's salary is $90,156 this year, and the term is for four years. In the city's 3rd Ward, incumbent Councilwoman Beth Warnecke will be challenged by Kraig Kutschbach, of 1726 Windsor Place, in the Republican primary. Democrat Shaun Mason, of 606 Bright Road, is also seeking election to represent the city's 3rd Ward, and faces no primary challengers. There will be no primary for Findlay Democrats in May. Other city officials will be unopposed in their bid for re-election in the Republican May primary, including Auditor Jim Staschiak, Law Director Donald Rasmussen, Council President John Harrington, at-large Republican councilmen Randy Greeno, Grant Russel and Jeff Wobser, and ward representatives Holly Frische, R-1, Brian Bauman, 5th Ward; Jim Niemeyer, 6th Ward; and Joshua Palmer, 7th Ward; and Municipal Court Judge Stephanie Bishop. This year, the city law director's salary is $134,729. The auditor's salary is $90,044. Council members, including council president, will be paid $8,440. Since 2017, Findlay council members receive the same yearly pay raise given to non-union city employees. Both the law director and the auditor serve four-year terms. Council members are elected for two years, and the municipal court judge serves a six-year term. Most Findlay Council seats went uncontested in the May 2021 primary election, with Republican voters deciding only two races. All city offices are held by Republicans. A slate of issues has also been approved for the May ballot, including: - Appleseed Joint Ambulance, an additional 5-year, 2.8-mill levy, to be used to provide ambulance service. - Voter approval of a gas aggregate program for the village of Bluffton. - Renewal of a five-year, .75% income tax for the Cory-Rawson Local School District, to be used for current expenses. - Renewal of a three-year, 1% income tax for the Riverdale Local School District, to be used for current expenses. - Renewal of a five-year, 1.5-mill levy for the Southwestern Joint Fire District, which includes Union and Van Buren townships, Jenera and Rawson, to be used by the fire department and commencing in 2023. - Renewal of a 10-year, 3-mill emergency levy for the Van Buren Local School District. - Renewal of a five-year, 1-mill levy in Washington Township, to be used for the operation of the fire department. - Precinct 4C — Findlay Brewing Company LLC, local option question 2, Sunday sale on/off-premise sales of wine, mixed beverages and spirituous liquor. - Allen West Precinct — Dark Horse, local option question 2, Sunday sale on-premise sales of wine, mixed beverages and spirituous liquor.