There are no Democratic candidates for Hardin County Commissioner. To cast a vote for Commissioner, voters may request a Republican ballot for the primary. Election Day is Tuesday, March 19.
By Paula Pyzik Scott
On February 13, the Ada Rotary Club hosted four Republican candidates for an open Hardin County Commission seat. Each presented their qualifications and the ideas they feel are most important to the future of Hardin County.
Michael P. Kasler, Kathy Kelley, Paul Osborne and Joe Sherman are on the Republican Primary Ballot running for a County Commissioner seat, full term commencing January 2, 2025.
Commissioner Roger Crowe chose not to run for another term. The four candidates all chose to run for Crowe’s term. Fred M. Rush is running unopposed for a full term as County Commissioner commencing January 3, 2025.
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THE CANDIDATES
Michael P. Kasler was a State Trooper for 25 years before earning his law degree at Ohio Northern University. He owns and operates Kasler Oil & Gas Development, LLC and Kassler Family Farm. Kasler is a trustee of the Ohio Highway Patrol Retirement System and serves as a Tax Delinquency Title Investigator for Hardin County as well as Zoning and Nuisance Officer for Buck, Hale and Pleasant townships.
Kathy Kelley served in the U.S. Navy for four years as a pipefitter-welder on the USS Cape Cod. She has owned and operated two businesses in Hardin County, a mini mart and flooring and power washing business. Kelley is currently the Deputy Executive Director at the Hardin County Veterans' Service Office and a board member of the Hancock Hardin Wyandot Putnam Community Action Commission.
Paul Osborne owned and operated a graphic design agency for 16 years. After teaching Bible school for 20 years, he became a pastor at his local church. Osborne has served as a township trustee, as a board member for the Alger Public Library and as the first administrator of the Village of Alger.
Joe Sherman has been a farmer for 40 years and a Goshen Township trustee for 18 years. He worked for Rockwell International and recently worked for the Hardin County Engineer. He has resigned from the Engineer’s office to run for Commissioner.
VOTING FOR COMMISSIONER
The three commissioner terms are set by the Ohio Revised Code; they start or commence on January 1, 2 or 3. Each of the three seats are voted on separately. The salary for Commissioner in Hardin County is approximately $58,000, according to the Commission office.
Amy Purcell, Director of the Hardin County Board of Elections, explains how ballot selection works in a partisan primary election: “when a voter checks in to vote they will have the option of which party’s ballot they would like to vote. Once that ballot is voted, they then become affiliated with that party. You can request any party’s ballot, regardless of your current party affiliation (with some restrictions for people who are currently holding an office that were nominated by a specific party).”
Therefore, you do not have to be affiliated with the Republican Party prior to casting a vote for a Republican candidate in the primary.
To view the Republican and Democratic ballots for Ada precincts North and South, visit the ballot list display page https://lookup.boe.ohio.gov/vtrapp/hardin/ballotlist.aspx
There are 18 contests on the Democratic ballot; three contests have two candidates, five have a single candidate and ten contests have no valid petition filed.
There are 21 contests on the Republican ballot; six contests have multiple candidates, fourteen have a single candidate and one has no valid petition filed.
For information on voter registration and absentee voting, visit https://www.boe.ohio.gov/hardin/
The deadline for voter registration is February 20 at 9:00 p.m.
