MARION, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW) – The Marion County Board of Elections voted to place two county commissioner candidates on the primary election ballot after previously rejecting their petitions.
Republicans Tim Mooney and Jason Schaber both expressed relief Tuesday evening after the board conducted reconsideration hearings regarding their petitions, both of which were rejected during a certification meeting on Jan. 2 for having filled in the incorrect commencement dates for the offices they’re seeking, leading to confusion about which county commission seats they were running for this year.
Both men contended that they were given the incorrect commencement dates by employees at the Board of Elections office, which was confirmed by officials from the Board of Elections. Furthermore, they each pointed out that current County Commissioner Kerr Murray had experienced a similar issue with his petition in 2016 and the Board of Elections at that time voted to certify his candidacy.
The four-member Board of Elections voted unanimously on Tuesday to reconsider their previous ruling and certify the petitions submitted by Mooney and Schaber, noting that each man had provided sufficient evidence that they had clearly stated to signers of their petitions which county commission seats they planned to seek this year.
However, during Tuesday’s hearing, Board of Elections member Brandi Downs explained that individual candidates are ultimately responsible for making certain that all information included on petitions is correct prior to filing with a local board of elections.
Board of Elections chairperson Lynn Zucker and Deputy Director Brian Blair each stated that the Marion County Board of Elections will work to clarify policies and procedures with board employees in the future to avoid further confusion.
Mooney, a current member of the Claridon Township Board of Trustees, is running against Commissioner Andy Appelfeller in one GOP primary election on March 19. The commencement date for the new term of the county commission seat currently held by Appelfeller is Jan. 3, 2025. Mooney wrote Jan. 2, 2025, on his petition in the space for the term of the office he was seeking, but then changed the 2 to a 3, which the board used as its reason for rejecting his petition.
“Becoming a county commissioner is something that I’ve been going after for some time, so (having his petition certified) means a lot to me,” Mooney said Tuesday evening. “Now I can start being a candidate. Before I couldn’t get signage and I couldn’t go out and campaign, so I’m already a week behind. I’m very pleased with the outcome, but I’ve got to get busy. I’ve got an incumbent to run against.”
During his testimony to the Board of Elections, Mooney stated that despite initially writing the incorrect commencement date on his petition, he had clearly communicated to people who signed his petition that he intended to run against Appelfeller in the March 19 primary election. Numerous witnesses addressed the board on behalf of Mooney, confirming his assertion that he had indeed expressed his intent to run against Appelfeller while circulating his petition. No one opposed Mooney’s certification.
Schaber, who represents the 3rd Ward on Marion City Council, is running against Commissioner Kerr Murray in the primary election. The commencement date for the new term of the county commission seat currently held by Murray is Jan. 2, 2025. Schaber wrote Jan. 1, 2025, on his petition in the space for the term of the office he was seeking.
“I’m very grateful and glad it’s over,” Schaber said. “I’m glad the board members had open minds and saw that it was a simple mistake. That’s all it was. Overall, I think we’re better off having to go through this even though it was frustrating and agonizing at times, it was still a good learning process.”
Like Mooney, Schaber stated to the board that he had communicated to signers of his petition that he intended to run against Murray in the primary election. Schaber received support from fellow Marion City Council member Ayers Ratliff, 2nd Ward, and Council Clerk Tarina Rose, who spoke on his behalf during the hearing and confirmed that he had communicated to them his intent to run against Murray. No one opposed Schaber’s certification.
The current members of the Marion County Board of Elections are Jennifer Croskey and Lynn Zucker, who were appointed by the Marion County Republican Party Central Committee, and Brandi Downs and Robb Koons, who were appointed by the Marion County Democratic Party Central Committee.