Where's Julie Farrar?

SANDUSKY — She decided to run for county commission; that's clear. But why she's running remains a mystery.Julie Farrar, a school board member before serving two terms on Sandusky city commission, filed petitions for the Democratic primary race for the county seat against incumbent Pat Shenigo last month.But she's not answering questions about why she's a candidate, what she stands for or what she hopes to accomplish, if she is elected. Farrar also continues to ignore questions about what she considers her past accomplishments in office are, how she views the job and what her qualifications are for it.A nearly identical set of questions was sent to Sheingo, who responded in writing. Get Wednesday's Register to read the questions and his answers. Farrar was expected to be a candidate for the commissioner's seat currently held by Republican Matt Old, but she changed it up just before the deadline to file as a candidate, opting to run against Shenigo, a fellow Democrat, in the March 17 primary. The change of heart led to speculation Farrar is doing the bidding of her cousin, county Democratic Party chair Amy Grubbe and former commissioners Tom Ferrell and Bill Monaghan, all three of whom have longstanding grudges against Shenigo, a three-term commissioner seeking re-election. Grubbe denied having any sway over Farrar's decision to run against Shenigo, but the party chair's animosity toward him has been apparent and pronounced for years. Shenigo has faced a primary challenge in each of his three prior races for commission, and many speculate Grubbe is responsible for that. Monaghan was a supporter of Shenigo's and followed his lead on commission for several years but later started criticizing him in nonsensical ways and partnered with Ferrell, despite his earlier and consistent harsh criticism of Ferrell previously.There was speculation, at the time, that Monaghan switched it up because Ferrell told him he would find a candidate to challenge him in the primary in 2012 if he did not turn against Shenigo. There was no primary challenge in 2012, the last year Monaghan ran for office. Ferrell's stranglehold on commission was upended when Shenigo was elected, and Ferrell also has been openly hostile toward Shenigo over the years. Monaghan and Ferrell both opted against seeking re-election in 2018 and 2016, respectively. But Grubbe helped keep them relevant in the party. She engineered it so both men were appointed to the county elections board after she was removed from the board due to what the secretary of state called her "harassing treatment of staff, a poor relationship with the media and poor relationships with other governmental offices and entities."Farrar has not responded to questions about what influence her cousin, Monaghan or Ferrell might have had on her decision to run against Shenigo, and she's offered no explanation for why she is ignoring questions about her candidacy. In the past, Farrar has praised Shenigo and Old for their leadership. Shenigo told the Register he's going to stay positive in the weeks leading up to the March 17 primary contest. "I really don't know Julie Farrar, and I really don't know why she was talked into running against me. I also don't know what she accomplished in her time as a city commissioner," Shenigo said. "For me, I'll run on my record. Democrats should ask themselves: 'Is Erie County better off today than it was 12 years ago?'"Julie Farrar is an Erie County commission candidate in the spring 2020 primary.