Elyria Councilman Andrew Lipian making write-in bid for commissioner (UPDATED)

Elyria Councilman Andrew Lipian has announced a write-in campaign for commissioner in the November election. Lipian, I-1st Ward, announced in a news release Friday that his goal is to bring transparent leadership to the board of three commissioners. "We need smart development that protects our environment and pumps the brakes on unwanted data centers," Lipian said in the news release. Lipian was reelected last fall to his third term on Elyria City Council. He has been Grafton village administrator since late 2024. Before that, he worked a remote position as director of operations at Thomas Global Media for several months, after working for Lorain County, first managing the county Records Center then serving as an economic development coordinator. Lipian also is a U.S. Air Force veteran, and still serves in the Ohio Air National Guard. He is vice chairman of the Lorain County Children Services Board of Directors. Only one of the three commissioners' seats is up for election this year. It's held by Jeff Riddell, a Republican running for his second term. Riddell beat Will Schlechter in the primary by 18 votes out of nearly 19,400 cast. Carolyn White, a former Lorain and Sheffield councilwoman, is the Democratic candidate. As a write-in candidate, Lipian's name won't appear on the November ballot, and would have to be written in on the blank space for that particular race on the ballot. "Lorain County deserves more than a default A-or-B tossup," Lipian said. "People who know my record know I am here to work and provide a choice for those who want accessible, accountable government." Lipian is a graduate of Midview High School, Oberlin College and the University of Michigan. He and his wife, Melinda, have three children. Reporter Dave O'Brien and web editor Vince Guerrieri contributed to this story.