SIDNEY — The Shelby County Republican Party showcased the candidates running for local county commissioner’s seats at a Meet the Candidates Night on Thursday, Feb. 15.

With nearly 100 people in attendance, five Republican candidates made their respective cases for why they should fill one of two seats being vacated by retiring county commissioners. Tony Bornhorst will mark his last day in office on Jan. 1, 2025, and Bob Guillozet will be close behind, ending his time in elected office on Jan. 2, 2025. Both were in attendance and gave brief remarks at the event.

The three Republican candidates running to replace Bornhorst are John Adams, of Sidney, Philip Barhorst, of Fort Loramie, and Mack Knupp, of Sidney. The two candidates running to replace Guillozet are Jim Goettemoeller, of Botkins, and Bruce Metz, of Jackson Center. The winners of the March 19 primary election will run unopposed in the November general election, so this election will determine the county’s next two commissioners.

Republican Party Chairman Dan Cecil opened the evening by welcoming everyone and inviting Shelby County Right to Life Director Ann Schmiesing to give the invocation. Republican Central Committee Member Tyler Shuster led the attendees in the pledge of allegiance. Cecil then set the stage for the evening by explaining why the Republican Party’s roles and responsibilities are different in a primary election than they are in a general election. To request a copy of the handout used for this discussion, and to help research the best candidate for this election, email [email protected].

After explaining the sequence of events for the evening, Cecil offered each candidate three minutes to introduce themselves and their campaigns, followed by one additional minute for follow-up comments. An audience question and answer period followed with questions ranging from what their position was on Sidney’s 0.5% permanent income tax levy to their thoughts on the three Republican candidates in Ohio’s U.S. Senate race.

After a robust question and answer period, the commissioner candidates were thanked for their willingness to serve and were dismissed from the platform with a hearty round of applause. Other elected officials and candidates in the audience were then introduced, offering the rest of the evening for attendees to mingle and speak directly with current and prospective Republican elected officials.

Some important dates highlighted at the event include:

• Feb. 19 – The second Republican U.S. Senate debate on Spectrum News.

• Feb. 20 – Voter registration deadline.

• March 6 – Third and final Republican U.S. Senate debate.

• March 12 – Deadline for absentee ballot requests.

• March 18 – Postmark deadline for mail-in absentee ballots.

• March 19 – Election Day.