MANSFIELD, Ohio – Republican Tim Theaker won re-election as mayor of Mansfield on Tuesday, according to unofficial election results.
Theaker bested Democrat challenger Ron Abrams with 5,442 votes to Abrams’ 4,488, a 54- to 46-percent margin. Write-in candidates for mayor counted 60 votes, or 0.6 percent of total votes.
“I was elated, I was very pleased that the citizens of Mansfield saw we did a great job, and we did do a great job the last four years,” Theaker said during a party at his home late Tuesday night. “I ran a clean, Christian campaign and I am very pleased that the citizens realized that and that they know we did a great job and accomplished a lot.
“I’m very pleased the citizens of Mansfield have the same thoughts; I respect them and their vote.”
Looking ahead to the next four years, Theaker hopes to grow jobs and tackle blight in Mansfield.
“That’s something I need to work on. We have money and we need to continue with the blight problem and that’s something we need to accomplish in order to bring jobs to Mansfield,” Theaker said. “Another thing we need to do is make the safety forces stronger and work with them, and make sure we don’t go back into fiscal emergency.
“We need to continue on in growing Mansfield and we’re going to continue to do that.”
Also retaining his seat in Mansfield government is incumbent Law Director John Spon, who earned 5,342 votes (54 percent) to challenger David Remy’s 4,401 votes (45 percent).
“Today is a great day: Election Day. A day of freedom preserved by the lives and the blood of all who served in our military,” Spon said. “Today we march to the polls as Republicans, Democrats and Independents but we vote as Americans. In voting, we honor those who sacrifice for our freedom and we are eternally grateful for their sacrifice.”
Mansfield City Council President Phil Scott retained his seat with 5,084 votes (53 percent) to Michael Hill’s 4,409 votes (46 percent). In Mansfield’s second ward, Jeff Rock bested Norval Blackwell with 55 percent of the vote, and Garnetta Pender topped Michael Mount with 54 percent of the vote.
On the Mansfield Board of Education, Sheryl Weber and Renda Cline earned the two open spots with 33 and 24 percent of the vote, respectively. The two beat candidates Cliff Crose and Chauncey Bragg, Sr. for the spots.
In the city of Shelby, Finance Director Steve Lifer will retain his seat with 1,337 votes (58 percent) over challenger Cohen Lewis. The city will also see one new face on Shelby City Council with retired police chief Charlie Roub winning 348 votes (56 percent) to represent Ward 1 over incumbent Pat Carlisle, who earned 272 votes (43 percent).
Incumbents Derrin Roberts, Ward 2, and Nathan Martin, Ward 4, also retained their contested seats.
In local issues, Richland County residents passed both public health tax levies for Richland County Mental Health with 62 percent of residents voting yes for each measure.
There are 79,832 registered voters across 85 precincts in Richland County; 43 percent of registered voters cast a ballot, resulting in 35,071 votes.
“The totals being released are all the precincts, but we still need to count the paper ballots from the polls (less than 50) and the write-ins,” said Paulette Hankins, director at the Richland County Board of Elections.
Election results were delayed due to a lawsuit filed in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. The lawsuit resulted in an order to keep voting locations open until 9 p.m. in Hamilton County only, according to a press release from Ohio Secretary of State John Husted.
While all counties could continue reporting results to the Secretary of State’s election night reporting system, no county was permitted to release election results until 9 p.m.
For full unofficial election results, visit the Richland County Board of Election website.
As a community development group committed to growing Mansfield, NECIC sees civic engagement as vital for a healthy community. Rooted in the North End, their efforts benefit North Central Ohio and beyond. They promote informed voter turnout for a thriving society. Explore at www.necic-ohio.org.