ATHENS COUNTY, Ohio — The Ohio Supreme Court will decide whether Chauncey Mayor Amy Renner may run for Athens County Commissioner, after the local board of elections rejected her candidate petition.
“I’m confident the supreme court will do the right thing and order the board to put me back on the ballot,” Renner said. “All I want to do is just run for county commissioner, and it’s disappointing that it’s had to come to this, but I still feel very passionate about wanting to represent the county.”
Renner seeks to challenge incumbent Charlie Adkins in the Democratic primary election on March 19. The Ohio Supreme Court decided Wednesday on an expedited timeline that would allow Renner to appear on the ballot if the court rules in her favor.
The Athens County Board of Elections rejected Renner’s petition at its Dec. 27, 2023 meeting, according to draft meeting minutes included in Renner’s complaint and obtained separately by the Independent.
The board’s decision was unanimous. Athens County Board of Elections Chair Sky Pettey told the Independent the board deferred to the advice of the board’s legal counsel, Assistant Athens County Prosecutor Zach West.
No Republican candidates filed to run for the office, giving Adkins a smooth path to reelection if Renner is not allowed to run. The deadline to file as an independent candidate for the race is March 18.
As it stands, the county has only one contested race on this year’s primary ballot, between Beth Clodfelter and Taylor Sappington for the Democratic county treasurer candidate.
Renner said the lack of contested races in the county contributed to her decision to challenge the BOE’s decision.
“As a resident and voter of Athens County, I also felt compelled to do something about this decision not just as someone wanting to be a candidate, but just someone who’s wanting to see contested races here,” Renner said. “So, it felt bigger than just me — but more about just taking a stand that, you know, we should be promoting contested races in this county, not hindering them.”
Legal issues
Renner initially submitted a petition to run for county commissioner that listed the wrong term start date. Renner listed Jan. 1, 2025 on the petition — the last day of Adkins’s current term.
The next term for that seat actually begins the next day, on Jan. 2, 2025.
According to the complaint, Renner realized her mistake after submitting her petition on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. The next business day, she submitted written notice to the board that she was withdrawing her petition, according to records included in the complaint.
Renner submitted a second petition on Dec. 20, 2023, with the correct term start date, the complaint says.
However, West advised the board that Ohio law would not allow Renner to submit a corrected petition. He told the Independent that Ohio law is “fairly clear” in his view, referencing Ohio Revised Code Section 3501.38.
That section states in part, “No alterations, corrections, or additions may be made to a petition after it is filed in a public office.” The section also states a petition to run for office may not be withdrawn after it is filed, although an individual may withdraw as a candidate as allowed by law.
West advised the board that Renner’s second petition was essentially an attempt to correct the first, and should therefore not be accepted, per Ohio Revised Code.
However, Renner argues in her complaint that the office referenced in her first petition does not exist. That’s because she listed a term start date that does not correspond with any actual start date for a county commissioner seat.
According to Renner’s complaint, her first petition “was therefore a nullity, with the result that the filing of the Second Petition was not prohibited by any other provision of law.”
The Athens County Prosecutor’s Office answer to Renner’s complaint describes Renner’s second petition as an “amended declaration of candidacy.” The answer rejects Renner’s assertion that her “failure to properly fill out her Declaration of Candidacy renders it a nullity and entitles Relator to a second bite at the apple.”
Renner says in her complaint that even if her attempt to withdraw the first petition was discarded, nothing in Ohio law would stop her from submitting a petition for another office.
The ACPO, in its answers, rejects Renner’s legal conclusions.
In addition to contending that she has a right to run for the office under Ohio law, Renner told the Independent the incident demonstrates the “many barriers for people to just be able to run for office.”
“To just deal with this kind of blatant disrespect for trying to run is just really, really disappointing for me,” Renner said.
Asked to respond to Renner’s challenges contesting his reelection, Adkins said, “I filled my stuff out and submitted it like I was supposed to, and I’m on the ballot, and apparently she did not, and that’s about all I could say.”
Commissioner aspirations
If the supreme court overturns the local BOE’s decision, Renner would challenge Adkins in March.
Adkins was first elected county commissioner in 2012, the same year current commissioner Chris Chmiel was first elected to his position. Neither has faced a primary challenge since, though Adkins defeated independent challenger Bill Hayes in the 2020 general election.
Renner said she appreciates anyone who works in public service. She said she is pursuing a primary election challenge against Adkins, rather than Chmiel, who will also be up for reelection this year, because “Chris Chmiel has been a really great advocate for Chauncey.”
Adkins said he has supported the county’s smaller villages. He cited the county commission’s support for the Nelsonville Music Festival, an industrial park in Albany, water infrastructure in Coolville and the Baileys Trail System. (Adkins recently voted to pull county funding from the trail system, however.)
Renner said, as county commissioner, she would promote collaboration and shared services for local governments. She also wants to continue advancing outdoor recreation and tourism as a long-term economic development strategy for the county, because of the positive impact this can have on quality of life.
Renner said she would maintain a wary eye toward possible negative impacts, though, referencing regional problems associated with development.
She said gentrification related to economic development “isn’t just a Chauncey issue. This is a regional issue that, I think, goes well beyond Athens County. … We should all be coming together to tackle this and be unified in our approach for addressing housing.”
For Adkins’s part, he said his priorities for his next term would include a continued focus on more environmentally friendly solid waste and recycling practices through his role as commissioner on the region’s solid waste district. He also said he would focus on improving quality of life for seniors and attracting investment to improve the Athens County Home property on State Route 13.
Adkins said, “This is my place. This is where I growed up. This is where my kids and my grandkids and now my great grandkids are growing, and I want to leave it the best possible.”
