24-03-2025
May ballot in Tuscarawas County will only have tax issues after withdrawal of candidate
NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ With the decision by Dover Councilwoman at Large Julie Leggett not to seek reelection in 2025, there will be no contested partisan races in Tuscarawas County for the May 6 primary.
The ballot will only have tax issues and local options.
More on upcoming election: Voters in New Philadelphia and Strasburg will see school bond issues on May 6 ballot
Leggett, a Republican who was named to fill a vacant position on Dover council in 2023, recently said she decided to withdraw from the race for family reasons. That leaves three Republicans running for the three council at large positions ‒ Councilman at Large John Correll, David Jones and Zachary Wallick.
Among the most noteworthy tax issues on the ballot will be a 5.9-mill bond issue to build new school buildings in New Philadelphia and a 3.6-mill bond issue in Strasburg to revamp the district's athletic and band facilities.
At a recent meeting of the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections, the board voted to reverse a decision to consolidate the Mill Township polling location at 7342 Newport Road SE, Uhrichsville, with one in Warwick Township.
The board considered closing the Mill Township location because residents were casting ballots in a very small room, leading to a lack of privacy for voters. Other concerns included difficulty of access for people in wheelchairs and the pavement in the parking lot is limited and leaves mostly gravel for parking.
However, the board received an email from Jennifer Ong, the township's fiscal officer, protesting the decision. "The Mill Township trustees are very much opposed to taking the polling location out of Mill Township," the email said. "The trustees are of the opinion that relocating the voting location outside of Mill Township will having a chilling effect on voter participation by Mill Township residents."
The trustees noted no one from the board of elections had ever approached them with concerns about the location before they received notification about the planned consolidation, the email said.
The board decided to keep the current voting location in Mill Township for now and then look for another location in the township for future elections, with input from the trustees.
Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: No contested partisan races on Tuscarawas County May 6 primary ballot
