Electoral choices continue to fill out for spring primaries

Although Ohio's primary election schedule is still up in the air, the candidates are off to the races for a number of local, state and national elected positions.

District maps for the state Senate, state House of Representatives and U.S. Congress were redrawn this year due to population declines shown in the 2010 U.S. Census.

Those new maps are still the subject of some controversy as Ohio looks to have two primary election in 2012 one for the presidential and congressional races, and one for all of the other races.

According to the new maps currently in place, the majority of Athens County sits in Ohio's 94^th House District and 30^th state Senate District. Trimble Township, however, has been placed in the 78^th Ohio House District and the 20^th state Senate District.

Incumbent state Rep. Debbie Phillips, D-Athens, will run for re-election in Ohio's 94^th House district seat. She currently represents the 92^nd House district, which is becoming the 94^th in the new map. Her opponent will be decided in a primary between Republicans Micah Martindale of Reedsville and Charles Richter of Little Hocking. Phillips is seeking her third term in the Ohio House.

The new 94^th includes all of Meigs County, and portions of Athens, Vinton and Washington counties.

According to a press release, Richter grew up in Johnstown, Ohio, and graduated from Ohio State University with a bachelor's in economics.

"Since then, he has worked as a financial administrator of fund transactions in the banking industry and was also the accounting manager for one of the Westin Hotels' newest and finest airport hotels. He was also employed by Kenda U.S.A., where he used his skills in all aspects of the company, including as an accounting manager, North American sales manager, and purchasing manager," his press release states.

"I am a proud lifelong Ohioan and would be truly honored to serve as our community's voice in Columbus," he said.

Meanwhile, Phillips has focused her time in office on education reform and job creation in southeast Ohio with a focus on the green energy sector.

Martindale, a graduate of Hocking College, has not been able to be reached for comment.

Turning toward the race for Ohio's 30^th Senate district, no primaries are slated as only Republican Laura Groux of St. Clairsville and Democrat Lou Gentile of Steubenville filed petitions by the Dec. 7 deadline. The 30^th includes Athens, Belmont, Carroll, Harrison, Jefferson, Meigs, Monroe, Noble and Washington counties, as well as portions of Vinton County.

Groux had not returned calls for comment over the weekend, but according to her Facebook page she studied at the Ohio Valley General Hospital School of Nursing, and has worked as an Ohio GOP state central and executive committeewoman.

In a press release sent out by the Ohio Democratic Party, Gentile said he's honored to be a candidate for a full term in the Ohio Senate. Gentile was elected to the Ohio House in 2010, and then appointed to fill the 30^th Senate District seat following the resignation of Jason Wilson. Wilson resigned to become the director of the Governor's Office of Appalachia. Gentile is being sworn into the Senate seat tomorrow (Tuesday).

The race for Ohio's 78^th House District will feature a primary between Republicans Ron Hood and Marty Lobb, the winner of which will go on to face Democrat Jeremy VanMeter in the general election. Hood, of Pickaway County, is a former state representative of the 57^th and 91^st House districts, while Lobb, of Fairfield County, has served as assistant secretary of state between 1999 and 2007. VanMeter is an Ohio University graduate and a current political science graduate student at OU. He lives in Fairfield County.

Under the newly drawn maps, Ohio's 20^th Senate district is made up of all of Hocking, Fairfield, Guernsey, Muskingum and Morgan counties and parts of Athens and Pickaway counties. The race will feature incumbent Republican Troy Balderson, who was appointed to the district following the resignation of Jimmy Stewart, and Democrat Teresa McGraner Scarmack.

UNDER REDRAWN MAPS, the majority of Athens County falls into Ohio's 15^th Congressional Ddistrict, currently represented by Republican Steve Stivers, of Columbus. By the Dec. 7 deadline, Athens Law Director Pat Lang, a Democrat, had also filed petitions for that seat.

Ohio's 15^th is an inverted-C-shaped district that includes part of Franklin County and stretches around from Madison and Pickaway to Clinton County. It includes most of Athens County and all of Morgan, Hocking, Perry and Vinton counties. Stivers was elected in 2010 after defeating Mary Jo Kilroy in a rematch of a very close 2008 race.

Ohio's 6^th Congressional District candidates include a primary between former U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson, of St. Clairsville, and Cas Adulewicz, from Jefferson County, on the Democratic side. On the Republican side, incumbent Bill Johnson, who defeated Wilson in 2010, faces a challenge from Victor Smith of Waterford.

Ohio Secretary of State spokesperson Matt McClellan said Friday that Dec. 7 was the advised filing date from his office to candidates for U.S. Congress.

"There is a bill that takes effect Jan. 20 that establishes the June primary," he said. "One of the provisions in that bill will void and nullify any petitions that have already been submitted for congressional and presidential candidates. They will have to re-file by the deadline for the June primary."

That deadline is March 14, he said.