Candidate petition rejections shake up general election ballots in Morral and Prospect
The Marion County Board of Elections rejected petitions filed by Morral village Mayor Deborah A. Thomas and Councilman Ronald E. Spicer due to fatal errors that violated Ohio election directives set forth by the Secretary of State.
The board of elections approved a petition filed by Morral village Councilwoman Marjorie A. Moyer, who is now seeking to become the village's next mayor. She will run without opposition after Thomas' petition was rejected.
Thomas said that she "was quite alright with (Moyer) running" for mayor. She further noted that her she plans to apply to be appointed to (Moyer's) seat" on Morral Village Council.
With Spicer being eliminated from the village council race, there are no candidates in the running for a seat on that governmental body.
Prospect village council candidate disqualified
Current Prospect Village Council member Phillip L. Reeb Jr. was disqualified from the election after the board of elections found that his petition of candidacy was not signed when he submitted it to the board of elections office. Elections Director Cindy Price said that two board of elections employees witnessed Reeb sign it when he was at the office and they signed affidavits testifying to that fact.
There are two candidates running for the two available seats on village council. Lawrence E. Brown and Edward Spurlock filed valid petitions that were approved by the Marion County Board of Elections when it met on Monday.
Incumbent Benjamin H. O'Dell is not seeking reelection to village council.
Prospect will have a new mayor when the calendar turns to 2024. James E. Millisor is not seeking reelection. Current village council member Sandee Kay Lauer is the lone candidate on the ballot running for mayor of the village.
There are no candidates for the Prospect village clerk/treasurer position. Incumbent Teri Lee Duprey did not file a petition seeking reelection to the office.
Village of Caledonia
No candidates filed petitions to run for the two available seats on Caledonia Village Council. Incumbents Steven E. Levering and Kenneth E. Tennar are not seeking reelection.
However, Tennar did file a petition to run for mayor of the village. He is the lone candidate in that race because incumbent April L. Morrison is not seeking reelection.
Pamela Bryant is the sole candidate in the race to become the next clerk/treasurer of Caledonia. Incumbent Jeri Lynn Miracle is not running for another term in the office.
No candidates filed petitions to run for the village's board of public affairs. Incumbents Lawrence P. Haubert Jr. and Robert L. Pitchford Jr. are not seeking reelection.
Village of Green Camp
Green Camp Mayor Kyle DeWitt is the only candidate who has filed a petition to run for office in the village. He is seeking reelection to the mayor's office.
There are no candidates for the two seats available on Green Camp Village Council. Incumbents Danny L. Campbell and Jamie W. Rankin did not file petitions to seek reelection.
Village of La Rue
Only three candidates have filed petitions to run for office in the Village of La Rue. Mayor Dustin Ford is running without opposition in the Nov. 7 general election.
Councilman David L. Stallsmith is seeking reelection, but is the only candidate on the ballot for that office. Fellow incumbent Lance W. Roberts did not file a petition to run for reelection.
Board of Public Affairs member L. Diane Evans has filed a petition to run as a write-in candidate for the office she currently holds. Fellow incumbent David M. Albert is not running for reelection.
Village of New Bloomington
The general election ballot for New Bloomington village offices is sparse with three incumbents running. Mayor Melinda S. Mosley and council members Andrew Elswick and Bonnie L. Kiser are each running without opposition.
No other candidates filed petitions to seek office in New Bloomington.
Village of Waldo
Longtime Mayor Bruce B. Baker is seeking reelection to another term in office. He is approaching 30 years as mayor of the southern Marion County village. Baker is running without opposition.
Councilwoman Kimberly A. Gepper has filed a petition to run for village clerk-treasurer. Fellow council member Shannon M. Gerfen is running for reelection to council, but he is the lone candidate with two seats available.
William H. Holloway has filed to run for reelection to the village's board of public affairs. Fellow incumbent Emily T. Cook is not seeking reelection to the board.
Election information
Marion County residents who want to run as write-in candidates in the Nov. 7 general election have until Aug. 28 to file petitions with the board of elections. The deadline to file is 4 p.m. on Monday.
To learn more about elections in Marion County, go to the Board of Elections website www.boe.ohio.gov/marion. For information about statewide elections, go to the Ohio Secretary of State's website VoteOhio.gov.
Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Candidates eliminated from election ballots in Morral and Prospect
