11/05/2025
Paulding County Voters Decide Tight Local Races and Levies
Paulding County voters turned out at 30.5% for the November 4, 2025 General Election, according to unofficial results released Tuesday night. With all 16 precincts reporting, the election featured contested village council races, multiple township trustee positions, and 21 local issues ranging from school levies to fire and EMS renewals.
Municipal Court:
Suzanne Shuman Rister ran unopposed for Judge of the Paulding County Municipal Court and received 2,838 votes.
Village of Antwerp:
Nine candidates vied for four Antwerp Village Council seats. The top four vote-getters were John L. Devore III (203), John E. Ganger III (186), Derek R. Demongeot (174), and Jason Franks (174). Other candidates included Dean Rister (156), Bryce M. Steiner (138), Daniel J. Lehman (114), Jeff G. Rhonehouse (106), and Joel V. Steiner (51).
Other Villages:
• Grover Hill: Trudy Wilkin (15) LeAnn Lester (14) for village council.
• Haviland: Ronald R***r (23) and Robert Pease (22).
• Latty: Barbara Sinn (26), Darlene Knapp (25), and Bethany Stoller (25) filled open seats.
• Oakwood: Kelly Tumblin (75) and Gregory Hill (67).
• Payne: Jennifer Zartman (132) and Jason Miller (130).
• Paulding: Timothy Boss (365), David Burtch (358), Greg Reinhart (342), and Barbara Rife (338) claimed four council seats.
• Scott: Stephen Yoder (9) beat Eric Baker (6).
Township Trustee Races:
• Auglaize Township: Jim March (167) and Gary J. Lewis II (170) were elected.
• Benton Township: Joseph Thome (159) and Mark Crosby (151).
• Carryall Township: Thomas Michael Zuber (387) and Benjamin Kauser (382) were elected, with Nick Bragg (270) and Nathan Zuber (226) trailing.
• Crane Township: Kevin Stuart (149) and Joe Sukup (138).
• Harrison Township: Chad Benschneider (189) and Bob Young (166) earned seats.
• Jackson Township: Brandon Manz (349) and Dennis Sanderson (259).
• Latty Township: Blake Sinn (130) and Gabe Sinn (118).
• Paulding Township: Alex Straley (578) was re-elected, with six write-ins for Adina Layman.
• Washington Township: Terry Baker (73) led over Colton Merriman (63), Luke Spangler (57), and Joseph Cramer (40).
School Boards:
• Antwerp Local: Jayme Landers (633), Anita Bok (603), and Robert Herber (552) retained seats.
• Paulding Exempted Village Schools: Karen Saxton (1,287) and Leanne Den Herder (1,139) won over Jason Germann (678).
• Wayne Trace Local: Blane Stoller (663), Jeremy Moore (634), and Paul DeJarnett (538) were elected.
• Vantage Career Center JVS: Renewal passed 62.7% to 37.3%.
Countywide Levies:
The Paulding County Jail levy passed 2,053–1,611 (56–44%). The OSU Extension renewal levy also passed comfortably at 61–39%.
Local Issues:
• Village of Antwerp: Voters approved a replacement tax levy 221–154 (59–41%).
• Carryall Township: Cemetery renewal passed 63–37%, and the fire levy renewal passed 75–25%.
• Latty Village: Both additional and replacement tax levies passed by wide margins.
• Oakwood: Voters rejected new fire and EMS levies, each failing by about 59–41%.
• Paulding Village: The proposed 1% income tax failed 355–233 (60–40%), but electric aggregation passed 309–270 (53–47%).
• Paulding Exempted Village Schools: The proposed income tax increase failed 1,188–755 (61–39%).
• Wayne Trace Schools: Income tax renewal passed narrowly, 483–424 (53–47%).
• Antwerp Local Schools: Renewal levy passed 456–368 (55–45%).
Overall, voters showed support for renewals and replacements of existing levies while resisting most new or increased taxes.
Results remain unofficial until certified by the Paulding County Board of Elections.
