(Posted May 8, 2019)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
The results are in. Henry Comer won the Republican bid for president of London city council, and Republicans Carla S. Blazier, Joshua E. Peters and John J. Stahl are moving on in the race for at-large city council seats.
Voter turnout for the May 7 primary election was low. Of London’s 5,982 registered Republican voters, 390 (6.52 percent) cast ballots.
Comer, who currently serves as an at-large member of city council, beat out incumbent Joe Russell by a margin of two-to-one. Comer moves on to the general election in November where he will be unopposed.
Four candidates vied for the chance to move on in the race for city council’s three at-large seats. The top three vote-getters won advancement to the November election. Peters, the incumbent, garnered the most votes, followed closely by newcomer Blazier, and then Stahl, who has previously served on council. The fourth challenger, Michael W. Norman, did not secure enough votes to advance. Joining the other three on the ballot in the fall is incumbent Brenda Russell, who filed as an Independent candidate for the at-large race.
Also filing as an Independent for the fall election was Thomas Edward Boyd, who plans to challenge incumbent Patrick Closser for the London mayor’s position. Boyd submitted his petitions to the BOE on May 3. The deadline to submit petitions for candidacy as an Independent was May 6. The BOE must verify Independent candidate petitions by July 15. The board’s next meeting is set for 9 a.m. July 9.
The following is the full list of unofficial results of the May 7 primary election, as released by the BOE on Election Night. The board will certify the vote tallies sometime between May 18 and May 28. There were no tax issues or questions on the primary ballot.
RESULTS
Mayor of London
Patrick J. Closser 279 (100%)
President of Council – London
Henry Comer 251 (66.76%)
Joe Russell 125 (33.24%)
Auditor of London
Lora A. Long 273 (100%)
Director of Law – London
Jennifer J. Hitt 277 (100%)
Council At-Large – London
Carla S. Blazier 238 (28.07%)
Michael W. Norman 144 (16.98%)
Joshua E. Peters 254 (29.95%)
John J. Stahl 212 (25%)
Council First Ward – London
Andrew A. Hitt 87 (100%)
Council Second Ward – London
Richard M. Hays 71 (100%)
Council Third Ward – London
David Anthony Smith 34 (100%)
Council Fourth Ward – London
Rex Castle 79 (100%)
For more information about the election, go to https://madison.ohioboe.com/ and click on “Election Information.”
