Commissioner Jeff Riddell defeats challenger Will Schlechter by 18 votes in GOP primary

SHEFFIELD TWP. — Incumbent Lorain County Commissioner Jeff Riddell prevailed over challenger Will Schlechter by 18 votes out of nearly 19,400 cast in the May 5 Republican primary, according to complete and now official results from the Lorain County Board of Elections. The board certified the results of the May 5 primary at a brief meeting Tuesday, with a recount planned but unlikely to alter the final outcome of the race. Riddell, seeking a second term, received 9,707 votes, or 50.05 percent of the vote. Schlechter received 9,689 votes, or 49.95 percent of the vote. The small percentage of difference, less than 0.5 percent of all votes case in the race, triggers an automatic recount, elections officials said. The recount will be held at 9 a.m. May 27 at the Board of Elections offices, 1985 North Ridge Road in Sheffield Township, with a board meeting to certify the results to follow at 4 p.m. that same day. Assuming he survives the recount, Riddell will move on to face Carolyn White, a Democrat and former Sheffield councilwoman and Lorain city councilwoman, in November. Riddell had been up by 17 votes at the end of Election Day. With outstanding provisional Republican ballots, overseas ballots and military ballots counted, he gained 30 votes while Schlechter increased his tally by 29. A farmer and member of the Firelands Board of Education, Schlechter got into the primary and immediately started speaking out against the planned development of the mega site in New Russia Township. Riddell has supported the project. "Obviously it's an important issue," Riddell said, noting that the close margin of victory proved it. He said he would reach out to Schlechter "to start the conversation about how we make this a little bit less divisive of an issue." "I'm glad he sees that," Schlechter said Tuesday in response to Riddell's comments. Just listening, Schlechter said is "a big key" for someone in a position like county commissioner. "You're not running a business, you're working for your constituents. That's the key," he said. Schlechter said he appreciated all the support he got from voters and the public, even as he entered the race at close to the last minute. "We gave it what we had. If it wasn't for everyone out there supporting me, we wouldn't have come close," he said. Schlechter "has earned a seat at the table," Riddell said. "He's got a lot of support," Riddell said. "Anything that we're going to do to kind of put this on a positive track going forward needs to start with him, he's earned that." It was yet another close race for Riddell. In his first campaign in 2022, he defeated incumbent Democratic commissioner Matt Lundy by 136 votes. The three-member commissioners currently is made up of Riddell, David Moore and Marty Gallagher, all Republicans. Terms are four years. Turnout on May 5 was 25.3 percent of eligible registered voters. The general election is Nov. 3. Schlechter called the primary a good, eye-opening and educational experience. The lesson? "You need to get involved if you want to make a change, you can't just sit back and complain about it," he said. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.