Commissioners’ races primary highlight

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Without the primary contests for two Van Wert County commissioner seats it would be a ho-hum local primary election next year.

In fact, the seats now held by Republicans Gary Adams and Clair Dudgeon have resulted in four people running for one of the seats and two people, including Sheriff Stan Owens, seeking the other seat.

Those filing petitions seeking the Republican nomination for the county commissioner’s seat currently held by Adams that begins January 2, 2013, includes Kim Brandt, currently county 9-1-1 coordinator; attorney Todd Wolfrum, a Middle Point resident; York Township Trustee Bill Evans of rural Van Wert; and Willshire area resident Phil Baxter.

The other seat, now held by Dudgeon, which takes office January 3, 2013, is being sought by Sheriff Owens and rural Van Wert resident Denzil Wortman.

Both Adams and Dudgeon announced in November that they were not seeking re-election to their commissioner’s seats this coming year, but would be retiring at the end of their terms in January 2013.

Incumbents will be running unopposed in the Republican primary for seven other county offices, with the eighth office sought by a longtime employee of the department.

Chief Deputy of Corrections Tom Riggenbach, a rural Van Wert resident, is seeking the Republican nomination for sheriff to replace his current boss.

The seven other offices where incumbents are running unopposed in the primary include:

• Common Pleas Court Judge – Charles D. Steele
• County Recorder – Kim Hughes
• County Treasurer – Beverly Fuerst
• County Engineer – Kyle Wendel
• County Prosecutor – Charles F. Kennedy III
• County Clerk of Courts – Cindy Mollenkopf
• County Coroner – Dr. Scott Jarvis

In addition to the Republican primary for county offices, there will also be two issues on the March 6 primary ballot.

The first is an electrical aggregation issue for the Village of Wren, while the second would attempt to break a tie in a Sunday alcohol sales issue that deadlocked 153-all when all the votes were counted in the November general election. That issue will be for voters in Van Wert Precinct 3C only and is sought by the operators of Fricker’s restaurant so the restaurant can sell alcoholic drinks on Sunday.