Democrats pick Rich Resendez as nominee for Lorain County Sheriff

Rich Resendez was chosen Tuesday by Democratic voters as their nominee to replace the retiring Phil Stammitti as Lorain County sheriff in 2025. Resendez won the Democratic nomination with 11,155 votes to Rick Thomas' 7,527 votes, or 60 percent to 40 percent, according to complete but unofficial results from the Lorain County Board of Elections. "I think they (the voters) looked at experience and that was my whole platform, experience," Resendez said upon winning Tuesday's contest. "I applaud Rick Thomas; he ran a very good campaign, we kept it just based on what we brought to the table. And the voters looked at my experience with bigger departments (Lorain Police Department) and the Sheriff's Office, and they decided I did possess the ability to move the department forward." Resendez said his message in the general election will stay the same. "Obviously I need to reach out to Republican voters and I need to reach out to independent voters and get the message to them … and I'm gonna ask them to do the same thing the Democratic voters did, look at my experience. I think it is even greater than Mr. (Jack) Hall's, he can't match it," Resendez said. "I congratulate my opponent on his campaign and look forward to what the next few months will bring," Thomas wrote in a post on Instagram on Tuesday. "I'm extremely proud of the campaign we ran because we led with integrity and honesty. So many of our colleagues, friends, and family members gave their time and energy to reach voters and it's humbling that they did this because they believed in me. "I thank all of them and all of the voters who exercised their right and let their voices be heard. Most of all, thanks to my wife Debbie," he wrote. Resendez will now face Republican Jack Hall, who received 17,506 votes running unopposed in Tuesday's Republican primary, in the November general election. Resendez is chief of operations and lead investigator at the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office. He is a veteran of the Lorain Police Department and formerly a captain with the Lorain County Sheriff's Office under Stammitti. Thomas is the former chief of the North Ridgeville Police Department and former commander of the Lorain County Community College Police Academy. Stammitti named Thomas his director of corrections in December, and backed him in the campaign. Stammitti announced in September that he would not be running for another term. He has been sheriff since 2000. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.