MANSFIELD — Christopher McDevitt is withdrawing from the race for Richland County auditor.
The Democrat from Troy Township, in his first run for public office, told Richland Source on Friday afternoon he was on his way to the county Board of Elections to submit a letter withdrawing from the race.
McDevitt said his decision was made for personal reasons.
McDevitt was unopposed in the party primary in May, earning the right to meet Republican incumbent Pat Dropsey in the Nov. 8 general election.
His decision clears the way for Dropsey, 66, to earn his sixth term in office.
According to the County Auditors’ Association of Ohio, a county auditor is the chief fiscal officer of that county, a watchdog over all county funds and responsible for maintaining the official records of all receipts, disbursements and fund balances.
“It is his/her responsibility to account for the millions of dollars received each year by the County and to issue warrants (checks) in payment of all County obligations, including the distribution of tax dollars to the townships, villages, cities, school districts and library systems, as well as other county agencies,” according to the association website.
It’s also the auditor’s responsibility to serve as the paymaster for all county employees.
The auditor also establishes the real property value and calculates the property tax for every parcel of real estate within the county.
After the taxes have been collected by the county treasurer, the auditor calculates how much of the money collected goes to each taxing district, including cities, villages, townships, school districts, park districts, community colleges, and others.
Both men were unopposed in their respective party primary elections in May. Dropsey received 12,687 votes in the GOP primary. McDevitt gained 3,162 votes in May.
According to the Board of Elections, if McDevitt withdraws, no votes cast for him will be counted. Signs noting his withdrawal will be posted in the polling places.
Dropsey was unopposed for re-election in 2014 and 2018 when he was a member of the Democratic Party. He announced he was switching to the GOP in 2021, a move he said at the time he had pondered since 2018.
In an interview this week about his tenure, Dropsey said he was most proud of the office’s employees.
“Both the supervisors and the employees. They are all great people,” he said. “They do a great job and they continue to understand that it’s not about themselves, it’s about the community.
“They are always trying to find ways to help people, whether it’s somebody who comes into the office or calls,” Dropsey said.
“That’s always been the proudest part about my job — the people who work here.”
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