There are contested primaries for county commission seats in Greene and Clark counties (Republican races), and in Montgomery County (both political parties). There are contested Republican primaries for sheriff in Miami and Clark counties, plus races for Greene County recorder, Warren County clerk of courts and Montgomery County Domestic Relations judge.
Montgomery County Commission, Democrats
Incumbent Judy Dodge is being challenged by civil engineer Youssef Elzein as they seek the Democratic nomination for a County Commission seat. The winner will face the Republican winner between Kate Baker of Huber Heights and Jordan Wortham of Dayton.
Dodge, who was elected to her commission seat in 2006, said she would continue helping with efforts related to housing and economic development if elected to another term. She said the county used federal COVID-19 relief funds to work on affordable housing, food insecurity and job services.
Elzein said the county should have its eyes set on creating more opportunities for job training and education to break cycles of poverty and boost the region’s economy. For years, he has worked as an Arab American activist.
“We give millions of dollars in grants and tax credits to developers that want to build,” he said. “Why not spend that money to rebuild our houses, to make it affordable to our residents?”
Montgomery County Commission, Republicans
Huber Heights councilwoman Katie Baker and former Dayton police officer Jordan Wortham are competing to be the Republican candidate for Dodge’s seat.
Baker, a self-declared fiscal conservative, cited her background in finance and healthcare, plus her city council experience. Baker said that if elected, she would work to ensure the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has ample training and equipment.
Wortham narrowly lost to Carolyn Rice in a 2022 county commission race. He said he wants to make progress via attracting new businesses, effective social services and the elimination of “bureaucratic red tape and wasteful spending.”
He’s a graduate of Chaminade Julienne High School and the University of Cincinnati, where he earned a degree in communications.
Other Montgomery County
* In a separate county commission race, incumbent Democrat Debbie Lieberman and Republican challenger Mary McDonald are both running unopposed. They will both advance and will compete for Lieberman’s seat in the November election.
* One of the two judge seats in the county’s Domestic Relations Court will basically be decided in the primary. Jacqueline Gaines and Jennifer Petrella are the choices in the Republican primary, and there is no candidate on the Democratic side.
Gaines, a court magistrate, cited her 13 years of experience seeing cases five days per week, plus her experience as a mother as key qualifications for a Domestic Relations Court judge. Petrella is the DR Court’s current administrator, and so says she knows how to run the court. She also cited her work as a magistrate.
Greene County Commission, Republicans
Former Mayor Bob Stone of Beavercreek and current Xenia Mayor Sarah Mays are running in the Republican primary to fill the seat of County Commissioner Rick Perales, who is not seeking reelection. Since no Democrats filed to run for the seat, the winner of the Republican primary has a clear path to victory in November.
Both candidates emphasized economic development, property tax relief, and infrastructure improvements in the county as their top priorities.
“Both as a decorated Vietnam veteran and as mayor, I have shown the ability to make critical decisions under pressure, particularly during the 2019 tornado and the COVID-19 pandemic,” Stone said. “My initiative to utilize surplus funds for property tax relief exemplifies my commitment to managing county funds with integrity and transparency. I believe that as an elected official, it’s crucial to listen to every voice, to listen and learn.”
One of Mays’ top priorities is workforce development, including encouraging Greene County students to pursue careers in STEM fields, healthcare, education, and skilled trades — and having adequate housing to support those workers.
“Being a lifelong resident with strong family ties in Greene County, I’m personally invested in attracting and retaining families,” Mays said. “It’s crucial for us to take proactive steps.”
* Current Greene County Commissioner Tom Koogler’s seat is also up for reelection. He is running unopposed.
Greene County Recorder
There is a three-way Republican primary in the race for county recorder, between Rebekah Dean, Joe Kennedy, and Ken Kraus. With no Democrats filing petitions for the position, the winner would run unopposed in November.
The County Recorder is responsible for keeping and maintaining accurate land records, including deeds, titles, liens, and other documents.
Kennedy is president and director of operations at Kennedy Property Group in Xenia, and said he has 20 years of experience in the real estate industry. His top priorities if elected include building relationships with staff, having meaningful conversations with people that use the Recorder’s office, and improving efficiencies between the office and other government agencies.
Kraus is chief deputy to the Greene County Recorder, calling it “one of the best-run offices in Ohio,” and adding that “experience matters.” He’s been in the real estate and title examiner/abstractor industries for 35 years. He said he will continue the office’s ongoing technological improvements, making documents available online. He also wants to continue teaching citizens how to use the free Fraud Protection Notifications program.
Dean, a former a former Xenia City Council member, said she is running to make a positive impact in her community. She said her top three priorities are data security, transparency, and pursuing new opportunities for the office.
Clark County Commission, Republicans
Four candidates are competing to win the Republican nomination for an open seat on Clark County Commission. They are Charlie Patterson, retired Clark County Health commissioner; Dave Marshall, teacher and former campaign worker; Matt Quesenberry, project manager for a construction engineering company; and William Lindsey, New Carlisle City Council member.
The Republican primary winner will face Democrat Kevin O’Neill, a former Springfield city commissioner, in the November election.
Dave Marshall touted his work on state campaigns and involvement in several levels of government as qualities giving him a leg up on other candidates. He said this has given him “some really great contacts” to whom he can reach out and bring opportunities to Clark County.
Lindsey said he is a retired firefighter and he previously started and ran multiple small businesses. He said he has a lot of life experience as the oldest candidate at 70. He said, if he is elected commissioner, he will serve for one term before passing the role on to someone younger.
Patterson has had positions in multiple counties, involvement with the state and has testified in front of Congress in his health commissioner role, he said. Patterson said he decided to run because he felt God had “placed it on my heart” to do so.
Quesenberry said he has never served in office, but has a lot of experience dealing with budgets, contracts, government and people as a project manager. “We’re a small company, so I wear a lot of hats; I jump around from IT to vehicles [for example],” Quesenberry said.
** Incumbent County Commissioner Melanie Flax Wilt is running unopposed for re-election to her current seat.
Miami, Clark sheriff races
In Miami County, incumbent sheriff Dave Duchak faces a challenge from Paul Reece. Duchak has defeated Reece the past two elections.
Both Duchak and Reece are Republicans. No Democrat filed petitions for the office, so the winner of the March primary should be elected in November.
Duchak said the top challenges facing the department are narcotics enforcement, staff recruiting and retention, and combining two jails. He said the heavy flow of drugs requires “tough enforcement combined with treatment.” Duchak said his office sped up recruiting processes and worked with commissioners to get good pay raises for deputies.
Reece agreed about recruiting and retention being a priority, and said he would put more focus on the quality of the work environment. Other top issues for him were engaging with residents to work on crime rates, and a mix of adequate staffing but fiscal responsibility.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
* Incumbent Clark County Sheriff Deb Burchett will face off against Madison Twp. Fire and EMS Chief and former sheriff’s office Maj. Chris Clark in a Republican primary. The primary winner will not face an opponent in the November general election.
Burchett has been sheriff since 2017. She is the county’s first ever female sheriff and the third female sheriff in the state. She started there working in the jail, then became a school resource officer, serving on road patrol, then being promoted to the detective section.
Clark served in the sheriff’s office from 1997-2023, working his way from dispatcher, to deputy to detective to major. Burchett fired Clark from the sheriff’s office last year, saying she “lost trust in (him) as my fiduciary.” Burchett did not elaborate. Clark said he believes it was due to his intentions to eventually run for sheriff.
Clark said if elected, he hopes to increase recruitment, in part by improving the work environment at the sheriff’s office. He said he would also crack down more on drug crimes, which often lead to other crimes.
Burchett said she has improved hiring procedures for deputies, and made mental health treatment advances at the jail. She said she hired a grant writer to land outside funding in order to help the budget.
Warren clerk of court
Breighton Smith and Scott Male are seeking the GOP nomination to the Warren County Clerk of Courts Office; the winner will be unopposed in November.
Male, 57, is a retired law enforcement officer with more than 30 years of experience in the Warren County criminal justice system. During that time, he served as chief investigator for the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office. His top priorities if elected are to improve how records are kept and accessed, including an expansion of the electronic filing system to streamline how documents are transferred to and from other agencies.
Smith, 37, is a law office manager and has a law degree. His top priorities include maximizing efficiency to save money, modernizing clerk’s office’s technology to make it more effective for all the people it serves, and expanding on the clerk’s office’s legacy of professional, positive customer service.
This story contains information from Staff Writers Sydney Dawes, London Bishop, Jessica Orozco, Ed Richter, Jeremy Kelley, and Contributing Writer Nancy Bowman.