ATHENS COUNTY, Ohio — Mayoral races in Nelsonville, Coolville, Chauncey and Glouster are the only contested positions on Nov. 4 general election ballots in Athens County. Candidates for city and village council positions are all uncontested.
However, the outcome in Nelsonville ultimately may not matter as legal disputes about the city’s transition to a new form of government continue.
As you prepare to head to the polls, check out the Independent’s round-up of election resources below.
City of Athens
The City of Athens has no contested races this year. Voters will elect a city treasurer along with city council positions, including president of council, ward seats, and at-large council seats.
Incumbent treasurer Josh Thomas is seeking the office again.
“I hope to continue to streamline the reconciliation process to make it as easy as possible for anyone who might follow me and to continue to invest the city’s funds as best I can to keep the city earning a decent return,” Thomas said in the Independent’s candidate survey.
Current at-large council member Micah McCarey seeks the office of Athens City Council president “to make it easier for residents to stay informed, share their ideas, and see their input reflected in city decisions,” according to the Independent’s candidate survey. He succeeds outgoing President Sam Crowl.
Two current members of the council, Solveig Spjeldnes and Jeff Risner, opted not to run again. Newcomer Megan Leah Almeida will succeed Spjeldnes in the 1st Ward seat; newcomer John Staser will replace Risner for the 2nd Ward. Incumbents Michael Wood and Alan Swank will return to council representing the 3rd and 4th wards, respectively.
Newcomer Paul Isherwood will step into McCarey’s vacant at-large seat, joining incumbents Beth Clodfelter and Jessica Thomas as the council’s at-large members.
City of Nelsonville
Although several positions in Nelsonville city government are contested, the outcomes may not matter with the fate of the city’s form of government uncertain.
Last year, voters passed an initiative to abolish the city’s charter and return to a form of government defined by statute, which would include an elected mayor and council members elected by wards. Despite appointing an ad hoc committee to oversee the transition, the city council voted in late summer to repeal the voter-passed initiative. However, the Ohio Supreme Court found that candidates who had submitted valid petitions must remain on the ballot because their petitions had been legally certified.
But the court did not rule on the validity of the city’s decision to repeal the voter-passed initiative, leaving the city in legal limbo regarding the form of government it will have come Jan. 1, 2026.
A lawsuit by city auditor candidate Andrea Thompson-Hashman asks the Athens County Court of Common Pleas to resolve the issue by election day, although a decision had not been issued as of noon Oct. 22.
Current council member Johnathan Flowers is the only candidate who will appear on the ballot for the city’s possible mayoral position. City Manager Fred Holmes and former council member Nancy Sonick are both running as write-in candidates.
Holmes and Flowers both participated in a candidate round-table held by the League of Women Voters of Athens County. Sonick did not attend, but spoke with Independent separately for our coverage of the event.
Holmes said he would prepare Nelsonville for future development in part by working to reduce “drama” in the city government, while Flowers emphasized code enforcement and suggested adding parking meters to the city. Sonick told the Independent she did not expect to win but hoped residents would vote for someone who could do the job effectively.
Former Nelsonville council clerk Thompson-Hashman is the only candidate who will appear on the ballot for the auditor position, although Nick Smith is running as a write-in candidate. Smith, a former council member, currently holds the auditor position, following his appointment in September.
Both Thompson-Hashman and Smith participated in the league’s Nelsonville event. Smith emphasized a conservative approach to city finances and Thompson-Hashman emphasized tax collection on vacant properties.
All city council races in Nelsonville will be uncontested. Cameron Peck is the only candidate who will appear on the ballot for the four available one-month council seats, which are intended to fill a December gap between council positions expiring under the charter and the new statutory positions that may take effect in January.
Recently appointed city council member McCray Powell and current council members Cory Taylor and Nic Joseph Saul are running as write-in candidates.
McCray, Powell and Saul are also running for two of seven available council seats under the would-be statutory government, alongside newcomers Lynn Bishop, Wesley M. Henderson, Jessica L. Hollenbaugh, Glenn A. Smith, and write-in candidate Carol Sue Powell.
The election is not the only way in which council membership is being contested. Former council president Rita Nguyen appointed Sue Powell to the council March 2024. Both are currently suing the city in the Ohio Fourth District Court of Appeals, arguing that they were wrongfully removed from their seats in the weeks following their appointments. Neither will be on the ballot this year.
Village mayoral elections
Two people seek to be mayor of Glouster: incumbent Mayor Nathan Simons and Lucas Mace, a current village council member. The two candidates spoke with voters at a Sept. 30 League of Women Voters of Athens County candidate roundtable.
Mace suggested changes to the village police department at the roundtable event, saying that Glouster should have more and “better” police officers. He also voiced opposition to additional zoning and permitting regulations.
Simons, meanwhile, emphasized village development efforts and his role in securing funding for the village.
In Chauncey, resident Frank Campbell and current council president Evelyn Nagy are vying for mayor. At a League of Women Voters of Athens County roundtable, Campbell emphasized collaboration between village residents and the local government, as well as a need for more housing.
Nagy referenced some of the same needs as Campbell, while also emphasizing her experience on council and a skillset in listening to find solutions amid different viewpoints.
While on council, Nagy has helped lead the charge on multiple village ordinances or resolutions, including anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ residents and low-income renters, a measure protecting tenants from eviction due to late rental payments, and a May 2024 resolution calling for a ceasefire in Palestine.
Across the county in Coolville, incumbent Mayor Tiffany Rife Oman faces former mayor Curtis Mark Rood. Rood resigned as mayor in 2017 at the council’s request, following an alleged breach of confidentiality and accusations he had been stealing village water.
Oman and Rood participated in a league candidate night Oct. 9.
Village council elections
In Albany, four candidates are running for as many seats. Candidates include incumbent council members Debra L. Andrews and Elliot John-Conry, current council president Neal Reynolds, and Sandi Rehl, who is running as a write-in candidate.
The four council seats available in Chauncey are set to be filled by four candidates, including incumbent Connaught M. Cullen, and Joe Jenne Jr., Amanda Moore, and Natasha Taylor.
Some village councils don’t have enough candidates for the available positions.
Amesville has three candidates for four seats, including current council president Michael Ford, incumbent Lynne M. Genter, and Christopher Payne, who is running as a write-in.
Two candidates are running for four seats in Buchtel, including Carol A. Wells and write-in candidate Thomas M. Bradley.
Two incumbent council members are running for four Glouster Village Council seats: Peggy Gatchel and Lou Anna Lenigar.
In Jacksonville, three candidates will run for four seats: incumbents Kenneth Jay Chapman and Rachel Gratz, and Leonard Chapman.
No candidates will be on the ballot for council in Coolville or Trimble.
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