Friday, October 5th, 2012

Sell to fill vacant elections board seat

By William Kincaid
Mercer County Democrats have recommended that Celina City Councilman Bill Sell fill the board of election seat recently vacated by Mark Uhlenhake.
At a party meeting this week, members of the combined central and executive committee voted for Sell to fill one of their two seats on the board, secretary Betty Cook told the newspaper. Former Mercer County Auditor Mark Giesige of Celina holds the other seat.
Two Democrats and two Republicans comprise the board of elections. The Republican members are Toni Slusser and Del Kramer, both of Celina. Each party recommends a candidate to serve a four-year term.
Secretary of State Jon Husted will review the Democratic party's recommendation before making an official appointment.
"I think he should do a good job," Cook, who served on the board of elections for 24 years, said of Sell.
Sell said he is eligible for the board of elections because he is not a candidate in this general election and doesn't intend to run for city council again when his term expires in 2015.
Mercer County Prosecuting Attorney Andy Hinders confirmed that Sell can hold both positions because he is not a candidate in this election and therefore does not face a conflict of interest.
"It seemed like it would be an interesting position," Sell, who teaches government at Celina High School, said about his desire to serve on the board of elections. "I've always been intrigued by elections, politics."
Sell said he would like to continue the board's adoption of new technology and help to ensure great access to voting.
"It (the office) certainly seems as if it's running well, and I want to continue that," he said.
Sell has served on city council since 1998, including two terms as president. He also will continue serving as chairman of the Mercer County Democrats.
Uhlenhake resigned from the board on Sept. 30 due to personal obligations. He had served on it for 15 years and was the board chairman.
Until the Secretary of State makes an appointment, the board only has three members during the lead-up to the critical presidential election. Early voting already has begun and people can cast their absentee ballots either by mail or in person at the voting center located in the Mercer County Courthouse.
Husted on Monday announced that more than 920,000 absentee ballot applications to vote by mail had been received by county boards of elections statewide.
"We hope that (Sell) gets it real soon," Cook said about the appointment. "We never know how long it's going to take them (the state)."
Additional online story on this date
ST. HENRY - The high school volleyball postseason doesn't begin for another 11 days, but Redskin Gymnasium had a tournament atmosphere on Thursday night when rivals Coldwater and St. Henry faced off in a Midwest Athletic Conference matchup. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
Planting winter cover crops is a growing trend in Mercer County, but the amount in the Grand Lake Watershed hasn't increased much since farmers began planting them in 2009.
A 45-year-old Celina man has been charged with rape after a concerned relative of the teenage victim contacted authorities.
Dale Keith Weyant, 801
A 37-year-old Auglaize County man faces three counts of misdemeanor theft after he allegedly took laptop computers from a Celina department store.
David D. Weaver, 16764 County Road 116A, is scheduled to appear Monday in Celina Municipal Court.
Mercer County
CELINA - The sheriff's office is upgrading software to improve scheduling, payroll and its concealed and carry program.
Mercer County Commissioners
Auglaize County
WAPAKONETA - Mercer and Auglaize county commissioners met in joint session Thursday to set new rules and regulations for the Sandy Beach Sewer District.
ST. MARYS - Harry and Joan McPheron of St. Marys have been taking short-term mission trips the past 13 years, with a large portion of that time spent with the gypsy population in Eastern Europe, Ukraine and Hungary.
Lions Invitational
COLDWATER - The annual Lions Invitational gave local cross country teams one last tuneup prior to conference and postseason meets on Thursday at Community Park and Cavalier Stadium in Coldwater.
MINSTER - Though they were completing a grueling stretch of volleyball, the Marion Local Flyers put on a tour de force on Thursday night to stay in control of the Midwest Athletic Conference title race.
Local Roundup
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
The boys golf season ended for local players on Thursday as no teams or individuals made it out of either the Division II or Division III district tournaments.