OTTAWA — For the first time in nearly 30 years, there is a new judge in the Putnam County Common Pleas Court.
Republican Keith Schierloh was elected judge of the Putnam County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday night, defeating Democrat Todd Schroeder.
Schierloh won 55.68 percent of the vote, compared to Schroeder’s 44.32 percent. The final tally was 9,671 votes for Schierloh and 7,699 for Schroeder.
Schierloh, 46, has been an attorney since 1999. He is a graduate of the University of Toledo College of Law and is a private practice attorney dealing with criminal and domestic relations. He was born in Putnam County and has lived in Putnam County his entire life.
Schroeder, 38, has been an attorney since 2002. He, too, is a graduate of the University of Toledo College of Law, and a lifelong resident of Putnam County.
Ottawa resident Marty Zender, 57, said he voted for Schierloh.
“He’s been a lawyer in the area for several years, and he’s a pretty straightforward, stand-up guy,” Zender said.
Quinn Kaufman, a 25-year-old Ottawa resident, also said he voted for Schierloh.
“I think he is the right person for the job,” Kaufman said.
Ottawa resident Jill Elliott, 46, decided to go against Schierloh.
“A few people I know didn’t have good things to say about Schierloh, so I felt like they would know,” Elliott said. “I thought I’d just go with the other guy [Schroeder] instead.”
Sheriff’s race
Brian Siefker was elected Putnam County sheriff in a landslide victory.
Siefker won 74.81 percent of the vote, with Dennis Cupp taking home 25.19 percent. Siefker won by more than 9,000 votes in the election.
Commissioner’s race
Republican Michael Lammers claimed a commanding victory in the race for Putnam County commissioner.
Lammers received 57.9 percent of the vote, while Democrat Tony Wobler earned 38.42 percent. Nonpartisan candidate John Welty received just 668 votes, or 3.69 percent of the those cast.
Presidential race
Republican candidate Donald Trump easily took Putnam County, receiving 79.37 percent of the vote, compared to Democrat Hillary Clinton’s 15.51 percent. Libertarian Gary Johnson earned 3.38 percent of the vote, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein took in less than 1 percent.
Other notable races
•Republican Bob Latta won Putnam County with 86.9 percent of the vote, compared to Democrat James Neu Jr.’s 13.1 percent.
•Rob Portman, R-Ohio, earned 82.77 percent of the Putnam County vote, while Ted Strickland, D-Ohio, received 13.61 percent.
•Voters in Continental chose to accept a five-year, 2 mill additional levy for roads and bridges. A total of 274 people voted for the levy, while 199 voted against.
•In Blanchard Township, voters went the opposite direction. A five-year, 2.5 mill additional levy for roads was struck down by 69 votes. Three-hundred individuals voted in favor of the levy, while 369 voted against it.
•Palmer Township’s five-year, 1 mill additional levy for roads passed 331 votes to 281 votes.
•A 1 mill addition tax for current expenses at Four County Joint Vocational School was struck down by just one vote. Eight people voted in favor of the tax, while seven individuals voted against it.
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