It was a mixed bag on Election Day as some incumbents in the Groveport and Pickerington areas were ousted while others held their seats with ease.
Groveport, Groveport Madison schools, and Madison Township
Groveport Mayor Lance Westcamp, who has been mayor since 1994, trounced challenger Dan Knode by 75 to 25 percent.
Knode had campaigned on a platform of change and stepping up the pace of improvements in the village as well as the school district.
Westcamp maintained a campaign theme of "if it’s not broke, don’t fix it" and referenced his administration’s steady, successful progress in enhancing the village’s amenities and infrastructure during his time in office.
Jean Ann Hilbert retained her seat on Groveport Village Council, but fellow incumbent Jan Stoots was replaced by Shawn Cleary, who was the top vote getter in six person race for two seats on council.
Voters rejected Groveport Madison school board incumbents Teresa Burch and Duane Dailey in favor of Nathan Slonaker, who garnered the most votes, and Mary Tedrow, who previously served on the board from 1976-91. Steven Slyh ran unopposed and will fill the seat vacated by Patti Froehlich earlier this year.
Incumbent Madison Township Trustee Susan Brobst easily retained her seat by besting her closest challenger by nearly 1,000 votes.
Pickerington and Violet Township
Mitch O’Brien bested Pickerington City Councilwoman Heidi Riggs for the mayoral post in Pickerington. O’Brien will take over the mayor’s seat in January from current Mayor David Shaver who chose not to run for re-election.
In the hotly contested Pickerington City Council race Tricia Sanders, incumbent Brian Wisniewski, and Brian Sauer were elected, outdistancing incumbent Ted Hackworth and challengers Tony Barletta, Robert Blair, and Terry Walburn.
Incumbent Lisa Reade and former Pickerington mayor Lee Gray were elected to the Pickerington school board in a seven way race that saw current board president Dr. Jim Brink lose his seat.
In Violet Township, incumbent trustee Gary Weltlich ran unopposed and retained his seat.
