Republican incumbent Dr. Kevin Sharrett also beat his opponent, Dr. Steve Bujenovic, getting 65% of the vote in the Greene County Coroner’s race, according to unofficial results.
These results are expected to change as more ballots are counted through Nov. 18. We will continue to update them as more ballots are counted.
Perales, a Republican who currently serves as the state representative for Ohio District 73, and Morrow, a Democrat who is on the Fairborn city council, ran to fill Commissioner Bob Glaser’s seat. This will be Perales' second stint as Greene County commissioner.
“I did this eight years ago, but I don’t pretend to know everything,” Perales said. “The first thing for me to get to understand is the impact of the (coronavirus) and taxes. Hopefully in the very near future we have a solution for (the coronavirus), but we don’t know, so another thing I plan to do is work with the health department to keep our residents as safe as possible without locking down and hurting our economy. It will be a fine balance.”
Perales said he also plans to work with the sheriff to find a solution for the aging county jail and predicts he and the other commissioners will have to strike a balance between development and keeping farmland or wetland in tact in the region. Perales said he will continue work he did in the Statehouse to work with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Department of Defense to make the county and Ohio “very accommodating and attractive to military missions and military families.”
In his role as a state representative, Perales represented the western side of Greene County
“I need to continue to talk and work with all of Greene County,” Perales said. “I need to make sure they know that I’m there for them.”
Commissioner Tom Koogler was also reelected, but ran unopposed.
The commissioners will make $81,157 a year beginning 2021, according to Greene County Administrator Brandon Huddleson.
Sharrett, who has held the office for six terms, has been a physician for the past 28 years at his family practice. He also recently joined forces with the Kettering Health Network as their Medical Director for Rural Health.
In his next term as coroner, Sharrett said he will continue to tackle the ongoing opioid epidemic and the coronavirus pandemic.
“We see (the opioid pandemic) each and everyday at the coroner’s office in one way or the other and that certainly has not changed with the COVID situation. And we’re dealing with the COVID situation and our role in trying to protect the public and be a part of the public health system to prevent the spread of the COVID virus,” Sharrett said.
Sharrett said his office will continue to stay up-to-date with the latest technology and to keep up with their accreditation through the Nation Association of Medical Examiners.
“It’s an exciting time to be involved in forensic medicine with the advancements that are being made,” Sharrett said. “There are advancements with technology seemingly everyday that allow us to do our jobs better.”
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