Mayoral candidate withdraws

Editor's note: Joseph Jones is a Register correspondent representing vermiliondaily.com. VERMILION — Originally, two candidates sought to become Vermilion's next mayor later this year. Now, officially, it's only one. On Friday, officials from the elections boards of Erie and Lorain counties confirmed candidate Russell Owens as the sole person seeking this seat. Jean Anderson — who previously served as mayor — also vied to become Vermilion's top official, but her candidacy has since been "withdrawn," elections officials said. "At this time, Jean will not appear on the ballot," Erie County's elections board director Alex Jones said. On Thursday night, in a social media post, Lorain County's election board updated the public on the most current list of all candidates running for office this fall. The post, however, did not address whether or not another candidate could or would be added in Anderson's place. Anderson didn't officially give a reason as to why she withdrew. She told Vermilion Daily she wants to spend more time on personal matters and doesn't know if she can commit full-time to city matters. Replacing the incumbent It appears Owens, a longtime area resident and business, will now run this race unopposed. He seems like the given successor to Jim Forthofer, who became Vermilion's mayor in 2018. In retirement, Forthofer intends to spend more time with his wife, Sue, which includes traveling. During the past eight years, Forthofer accomplished many projects and initiatives for the city, which included improving parks, supporting small businesses, continuing city traditions and tackling important infrastructure issues. Most notably, during his current term, he oversaw the long-awaited completion of Main Street Beach & Park's transformation, a $4 million task that now features a comfort station with restrooms, a better system for traffic flow, improved walkways and more. The vast majority of funds came from grants and donations. Forthofer gave some advice for Owens, providing him with a road map to success: He must listen, respect and work for Vermilion's greatest asset, its people, to succeed in this seat. "The residents of this town are super involved, generous and come out in droves to volunteer for things they believe will make Vemrilion better," he said.