Just My Opinion – A Public Service Announcement
The 2023 General Election, which will take place on November 7, 2023, may seem a long time from today and not worthy of much thought or consideration. However, depending on your chosen level of political involvement in your community, the time to act could be fast approaching. You may decide to run for political office or encourage someone else to step forward to serve their community while you support their effort. If so, there is important work to be done to place your name, or any name, on a ballot.
A petition must be filled out and endorsed by a predetermined number of signatures by valid registered voters in the appropriate jurisdiction. Every petition must be notarized and submitted to the Fulton County Board of Elections (FCBE) by 4:00 p.m. on August 9, 2023. The petitions will then be reviewed by FCBE staff personnel to ensure compliance with Ohio Election Law. If any petition is rejected for errors, such as an invalid signature, the process will be allowed to start again but the deadline will remain the same.
If the deadline is missed, an individual is allowed to file with the FCBE to be a write-in candidate. The deadline for write-in candidates is 4:00 p.m. August 28, 2023. A blank line will appear on the ballot for voters wishing to write in one of those candidates. By the way, spelling counts.
I will always encourage everyone of legal age and qualified to register and vote to ensure their voice will be heard. To have a stronger voice to help enact change or shape how you and your fellow citizens are governed, you will need to become more involved. In smaller communities, such as we have here in Fulton County, filling ballots and making them competitive can be a struggle, leading to individuals to run unopposed or being appointed. This essentially, denies the voters a true say in who runs their community. Finding quality candidates is an even greater challenge but so vital to the welfare of every community.
To begin the process, if you are interested, I would recommend you visit the FCBE, located in Wauseon at 135 Courthouse Plaza just behind the Sheriff’s Office on the west side of Fulton Street. Their hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday. Their phone number is 419-335-6841 and their email is fulton@ohiosos.gov.
For information purposes, below is a list of seats that will be contested this November. Listing the incumbents in this editorial is not meant to be, in any way, a reflection on their performance while in office.
| Fulton County Ohio Open Election Seats | ||||
| Position | Jurisdiction | Incumbent | Petition Signatures | Filing Fee |
| Mayor | Archbold | Bradley Grime | 50 | $ 30.00 |
| Mayor | Delta | Frank Wilton | 50 | $ 30.00 |
| Mayor | Fayette | David Borer | 10 | $ 30.00 |
| Mayor | Lyons | Andrea Gleckler | 10 | $ 30.00 |
| Mayor | Metamora | Richard Sauerlender | 10 | $ 30.00 |
| Mayor | Swanton | Neil Toeppe | 50 | $ 30.00 |
| Mayor | Wauseon | Katherine Huner | 50 | $ 45.00 |
| Council | Archbold | Karla Ball | 50 | $ 30.00 |
| Council | Archbold | Kevin Eicher | 50 | $ 30.00 |
| Council | Archbold | Kevin Morton | 50 | $ 30.00 |
| Council | Delta | Anthony Dawson | 50 | $ 30.00 |
| Council | Delta | Lynn Frank | 50 | $ 30.00 |
| Council | Delta | Chad Johnson | 50 | $ 30.00 |
| Council | Fayette | Suzette Boesger | 10 | $ 30.00 |
| Council | Fayette | David Wheeler | 10 | $ 30.00 |
| Council | Lyons | Nelson Ebarnhiser | 10 | $ 30.00 |
| Council | Lyons | John Good | 10 | $ 30.00 |
| Council | Metamora | John Hudik | 10 | $ 30.00 |
| Council | Metamora | Karon Lane | 10 | $ 30.00 |
| Council | Swanton | David Pilliod | 50 | $ 30.00 |
| Council | Swanton | Dianne Westhoven | 50 | $ 30.00 |
| Council | Wauseon | Shane Chamberlin | 50 | $ 45.00 |
| Council | Wauseon | Scott Stiriz | 50 | $ 45.00 |
| Council | Wauseon | Brandon Tijerina | 50 | $ 45.00 |
| TWP Trustee | Amboy | Thomas Herr | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| TWP Trustee | Chesterfield | Clark Emmons | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| TWP Trustee | Clinton | Larry Neuenschwander | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| TWP Trustee | Dover | Larry Burkholder | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| TWP Trustee | Franklin | Michael Kinsman | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| TWP Trustee | Fulton | Scott Gillen | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| TWP Trustee | German | Kennet Leupp | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| TWP Trustee | Gorham | Eliot Richardson | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| TWP Trustee | Pike | Jon Ehrsam | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| TWP Trustee | Royalton | Neil Shaw | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| TWP Trustee | Swancreek | Gene Wilson | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| TWP Trustee | York | Mark Jones | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Anthony Wayne | Jeffrey Baden | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Anthony Wayne | Pam Brint | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Anthony Wayne | Jayna Reagan | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Archbold | Jeremy Hurst | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Archbold | Tyson Stuckey | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Evergreen | Nora Kiefer | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Evergreen | Zachary Murry | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Fayette | Ryan Eberly | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Fayette | Kirk Keiser | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Fayette | Jason Kessler | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Liberty Center | Jeff Benson | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Liberty Center | Todd Spangler | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | PDY | James Bower | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | PDY | Alice Simon | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | PDY | Tamara Sprow | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Pettisville | Brent King | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Pettisville | Scott Rupp | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Swanton | Benjamin Remer | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Swanton | David Smith | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Wauseon | Larry Fruth | 25 | $ 30.00 |
| BOE Member | Wauseon | Stacia Radabaugh | 25 | $ 30.00 |
Fulton County Ohio Media 