9 write-in candidates are running in Portage County races. At least 1 is guaranteed to win
It's not unusual for people to register as write-in candidates, Portage County Board of Elections officials said. But it is somewhat uncommon for them to win, and that's exactly what will happen in one City Council race.
Several candidates have registered as write-ins in races across Portage County. They include John Sferra, who is challenging Councilman Tim Calfee for City Council in Ravenna's Ward 4; Mohammed Shaikh, who is running against Streetsboro Mayor Glenn Broska and Jeff Fejes, turning the contest into a three-way race; Anne Haynam, who is challenging Hiram Mayor Lou Bertrand; Steve Thorn, a Mantua councilman who is joining Councilman Kevin Maloney in a race for two seats on Mantua Village Council; and James McKey, who is challenging Brimfield Trustee Sue Fields and Bob Losey in the trustee race.
In Streetsboro's Ward 1, all the candidates are write-ins. After Mike Lampa resigned his seat on City Council, council appointed Marianne Glenn to fill his seat. Glenn is running as a write-in, and two others who sought the appointment, Chris Masowick and Joe Yonish, also are running as write ins.
Write-in rules
Faith Lyon, director of the Portage County Board of Elections, said the number of registered write ins this November isn't unusually high for an off-year local election.
"There's a whole slew of possibilities" why a person might choose to run as a write-in, Lyon said, such as missing the deadline to appear on the ballot. In some cities, including Ravenna and Streetsboro, candidates need to file petitions to be on the ballot in February, in case a primary is needed.
In the case of the Streetsboro City Council race, Lampa filed petitions for re-election, and nobody ran against him. Then, those petitions were invalidated, and Lampa later resigned. When Glenn was appointed, she was told she'd need to run as a write-in candidate in order to keep the seat.
Voters can write in any name when voting, but those votes will not be counted unless the candidate has registered within the deadline set by the board, Lyon said. If the name is misspelled, Lyon said the vote will still be counted as long as the voter's intent is clear. Voters can ask for a list of write-ins from a poll worker if they are unsure of spelling, or can bring literature or a "slate card" into the ballot box with them.
Write-in candidates face an uphill battle to get their names on the ballot. Sometimes they win, but often, those victories come when they are unopposed.
Four years ago, when nobody filed petitions to run as Ravenna Finance Director, the city pushed through a charter change to make the post an appointed position. Brian Huff later registered as a write-in. Both Huff and the charter change were approved, and Huff is serving his term as Ravenna's last elected finance director.
A 3-way write-in race
In Streetsboro, all three write-ins registered after the deadline to appear on the ballot. The city's contests are non-partisan, so if all candidates had filed in time for a place on the ballot, the field would have been narrowed to two in the May primary.
Glenn has lived in Streetsboro for 32 years, and until her appointment, served on Streetsboro's Parks, Recreation and Conservation Advisory Committee. She and her husband, David, have rental properties and also run a painting business. They have two adult children.
She previously sought appointment to council four years ago. Now, she is pointing to projects like the community center under construction, work on infrastructure for the city center project, and plans for a city hall as examples of projects she'd like to help continue.
"We're finally putting the pieces together," she said. "I've lived here for 32 years and there's always been so much friction. It's time for the mayor and council to work together for the betterment of the city."
Masowick, who has lived in Streetsboro for his whole life, said he "used to be a Facebook warrior" and has been critical of some of the city's decisions, expressing his displeasure on social media. For example, he said, he's noticed a lot of focus on the city's master planning process, but he'd like to shift the focus to day-to-day issues that he said residents care about more.
Masowick and his wife, Amber, have two daughters, Ellie and Lea. He works at Cleveland Steel Container Corporation in Streetsboro.
He registered as a write in on March 24, about six weeks after the deadline to appear on the ballot in Streetsboro, but three months before Lampa's resignation. He said he's gotten some support campaigning door to door.
"People are nice," he said. "Not how they are on Facebook."
Yonish said he ran against Lampa four years ago, and though he lost the race, he did so by fewer than 90 votes. He said he still had more than 400 people who supported him in the contest, so when he wasn't appointed, he decided he still wanted to serve.
"Four hundred people voted for me in the last election," he said. "I decided to run and see what happens."
Yonish and his wife, Melia, are the parents of an 18 month old son, Titus, and are expecting a second child in April. The family owns a home in Streetsboro. His brother, Chris, also is running for City Council in Streetsboro's Ward 2.
"I'm very well versed in this city and what people need," he said.
Other write-ins
Other write-ins say they missed the deadline to get on the ballot, and launched a campaign to gain name recognition.
In Ravenna, the write-in candidacy of Sferra means Calfee won't be running unopposed for a second term on council. All other contests in Ravenna, including the mayor's race, are unopposed contests.
Sferra, a life resident of Ravenna, said he has long wanted to be more involved in his city. He decided that "this is my time" and inquired at the Board of Elections about running for council, and was told that he'd missed the deadline, but he could register as a write in.
He said he looked up his chances on the internet and "Google laughed at me." Then, he launched a calculated grassroots campaign, setting out to knock on the door of every home in Ward 4. He tracked the ones he spoke to and the ones he didn't, and sent follow up letters to the different groups of people. He said residents tell him of "pockets of problems" such as drainage and sidewalk issues, and he's enjoyed interacting with them.
"I'm giving them my ear," he said.
Calfee, the incumbent, is former superintendent of the Ravenna school district, and now works as a school counselor in Alliance. He said he'd like to address issues such as streets, sidewalks and business development in a second term. He pointed to recent economic developments, such as the LG Chem buildings under construction, as recent examples of the city's success.
"Council has to work with the mayor for the betterment of the city," he said.
In Hiram, Haynam's write-in candidacy gives opposition to Bertrand, longtime mayor of the village.
Haynam is a former athletic director and women's basketball coach at Hiram College, and now is a small business owner and mental health counselor. She serves on the Economic Development Committee, a committee formed to pursue economic development in the village, and chairs the Garden Club, a collaboration between the college and Hiram residents.
She said friends encouraged her to seek office and she learned she'd missed the deadline to appear on the ballot. She then decided to run as a write in because "we can't wait four years for a new mayor."
She said the village needs to form a more cooperative relationship with the college, noting that the college and village are linked.
"Right now, we're operating as two separate parties, not working together very well," she said.
She said her experience in athletic gave her administrative experience, and an understanding on how things work at the college.
Bertrand has served as mayor for 16 years, which he said is longer than any other Portage County mayor. Before that, he served for 28 years on village council, 12 of them as council president. In addition, he is a lawyer, and has been serving for 55 years.
He said the village already works cooperatively with Hiram College, and he meets regularly with the president of the college to "keep it stable and grounded," working with them to advance various developments on campus. He said he's working to advance economic development in the village, bringing Mantaline to the village in 2017. The village has received federal funding to extend water and sewer service to those still on septic systems, and the village "stands willing and able" to accept new customers.
"We think we have excellent service," he said.
Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: 9 write-in candidates running in Portage races. At least 1 will win
