Judge, commission races highlight Clark County ballot
Nov. 6—When Clark County voters go to their polling locations for Tuesday's election, they will decide on who will help lead their county commission and courtroom.
Ohio offers nearly two dozen days of in-person early voting at the board of elections offices. That includes 1 to 5 p.m. today and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday.
Polling stations are open Tuesday from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. for traditional Election Day voting.
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In Clark County, voters will decide on two contested countywide races: a seat for Clark County commissioner, and a judge position in the Clark County Common Pleas Court.
Common pleas judge
Three candidates are vying for an open seat currently held by Judge Richard O'Neill, a Common Pleas Court judge who decided not to run for re-election this November.
Common pleas judges preside over civil claims, criminal cases and agency appeals in jury and non-jury trials.
The candidates — Democrat Regina Richards, Independent Bob Lancaster and Republican Brian Driscoll — are competing for the seat.
Driscoll, who won a contested Republican primary for the seat, has worked as an attorney for nearly 20 years and is the assistant prosecuting attorney for the Champaign County Prosecutor's Office.
Driscoll has also worked as an appointed Clark County Municipal Court judge, assistant prosecuting attorney for the Clark County Prosecutor's Office and a general practice attorney for four years. He is a graduate of Tecumseh High School and the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law in Western Michigan.
Lancaster grew up in Enon and has called Springfield home for several years. He's a graduate of the University of Dayton school of law, Wittenberg University and Greenon High School.
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Aside from his work as an attorney, a career he's had for 35 years, he is also the founder of the Springfield Tutoring Academy, which specializes in helping children with learning disabilities access after-school tutoring. The academy is a nonprofit he started after struggling to access resources for his child, who was diagnosed with dyslexia years back.
Richards has 16 years of civil and criminal litigation experience in Ohio Common Pleas courts, and she has lived and worked in Clark County for 8 years. Richards graduated from The Ohio State University and from the Cooley Law School in Western Michigan.
Richards is also a veteran, honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 2000. She ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for the seat.
Clark County has three Common Pleas judges: O'Neill and Douglas Rastatter in its general division, and Thomas Capper with domestic relations.
Rastatter is running for re-election for his judicial seat uncontested this election season.
County commission
Two Independent candidates are competing against an acting commissioner for a seat on the Clark County Commission this election season.
Acting commissioner Sasha Rittenhouse took home the bulk of votes in the May Republican primary election for the commission race, and Rittenhouse was appointed as acting commissioner in June by the Clark County Commission when Commissioner Rick Lohnes retired before his term expired.
Rittenhouse is competing for her seat against Independents Dale Henry and Tracey Tackett.
Rittenhouse, of New Carlisle, formerly served as the president of the Ohio Cattlemen's Association — the first woman to hold the title in the organization's nearly 70-year history. She operates agricultural businesses with her husband, where she manages payroll and other administrative responsibilities and also cares for cattle.
She is a graduate of Northwestern High School, and she has degrees in agricultural business and animal science from Clark State College and Ohio State.
Henry served in the U.S. Army, served as the mayor of Springfield and deputy mayor of the city, served on Springfield City Commission, worked at the Clark County Board of Elections Office as deputy director and as a member, and currently serves as president and groundskeeper of the Gammon House in Springfield.
He worked for General Motors for 30 years, aside from his other community involvement. He currently works in the Springfield City School District.
Henry is a graduate of South High School in Springfield, as well as Clark State College and Wright State University.
Tackett has owned and operated Sip and Dipity Paint Bar for nine years. She's also involved in organizations like the Springfield Arts, Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce and Habitat for Humanity.
Tackett has worked with the American Cancer Society of Clark County and currently serves as both a national and state representative for the Epilepsy Foundation, a topic of which Tackett is an advocate. Her daughter, Morgan, died in 2019 from complications related to epilepsy.
Tackett is a graduate of Clark-Shawnee High School and JVS, and she holds a degree in political science and organizational leadership from Wittenberg University. She is currently working toward her master's degree in public policy and leadership.
The Clark County Board of Commissioners has three members: Melanie Flax Wilt, Lowell McGlothin and Rittenhouse.
