Muryn takes solid win

In her bid for reelection, Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn won the Republican Party's nomination by a solid margin in Tuesday's primary election, taking 60% of the vote. Voters also decided two other city races in the primary, nominating incumbent Councilwoman Beth Warnecke for reelection as representative of Findlay's 3rd Ward and Daniel DeArment as council representative of the 4th Ward. In the mayor's race, Muryn received 1,824 votes. Her challenger, Haydee Sadler, 47, a financial administrator, received 1,206 votes. All vote totals are unofficial and include absentee ballots. Muryn, obviously excited and relieved with Tuesday's results, said she is "so grateful to be chosen as the Republican candidate for mayor moving into the general election." She said the city is facing challenges, but said, "Together we can work toward making progress on those challenges. The citizens of Findlay continue to put their confidence in me and I won't let them down." Muryn, 31, will likely be unopposed in November's general election. There is no Democratic nominee and all filing deadlines are now past, with the exception of a filing deadline for write-in candidates on Aug. 28. 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. The mayor's salary is $90,156 this year, and the term is for four years. In the 3rd Ward race, Warnecke, 61, of 1822 Windsor Place, was challenged by fellow Republican and neighbor, Kraig Kutschbach, 64, of 1726 Windsor Place. Warnecke received 282 votes. Kutschbach received 183 votes. Warnecke will face Democratic challenger Shaun Mason, of 606 Bright Road, in the Nov. 7 general election. Mason faced no primary challengers. In the three-way, write-in Republican primary race to represent the city's 4th Ward, DeArment, of 120 Glendale Ave., finished first with 98 votes. Finishing second was Craig Kupferberg, of 130 1st St., with 70 votes. Jeff Stutzman, 511 Hancock St., finished third with 25 votes. On Feb. 13, the election board rejected candidate petitions filed by three-term Findlay City Councilman Jim Slough, R-4, due to a shortage of valid signatures. Ohio law prohibits a candidate with rejected election petitions from attempting to run for the office again either as an independent or write-in candidate during the election cycle. DeArment may again face two challengers in the November election. Randy Otermat, of 724 Sixth St., and Robert W. Love, of 116 Greenlawn Ave., have filed candidate petitions with the Hancock County Board of Elections, 201 E. Lincoln St., to represent the 4th Ward as independents on Findlay City Council. Their petitions must still be certified in order for their names to appear on the November ballot. Monday was the filing deadline for independent candidates interested in vying for a city office in November. Every city office, with the exception of the treasurer, is up for election this year. That includes the mayor, auditor, law director, all ward and at-large council seats, council president and municipal court judge. Most, however, went unchallenged in Tuesday's primary election. Council members are elected for two years and will be paid $8,440 this year. Since 2017, Findlay council members have received the same yearly pay raise given to non-union city employees.