Court won't let replacement run

Editor's note: Joseph Jones is a Register correspondent representing vermiliondaily.com. VERMILON — The Ohio Supreme Court recently denied a petition filed by the campaign committee for Jean Anderson, blocking an effort to place Beth Deck on November's general election ballot as a replacement mayoral candidate. The decision centered on a single, critical issue: compliance with Ohio election law. The court found that Anderson's original petition for mayor, submitted in February, did not designate a committee of five authorized people to fill a vacancy if she withdrew, which she ended up doing shortly after filing her petitions. Anderson, who previously served as the city's mayor, formally withdrew her candidacy on Aug. 7. 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. That same day, her attorney, Gerald Phillips, submitted paperwork in an attempt to name a committee retroactively and certify Deck as Anderson's replacement. The Lorain County Board of Elections rejected the filing, and the Ohio Supreme Court upheld that decision. This ruling ends Deck's attempt to appear on the November ballot and leaves voters with just one candidate seeking this office: Russell Owens. The decision also reinforces the importance of meeting all technical requirements when filing petitions for municipal office. The opinion identifies Phillips & Co. and attorney Gerald W. Phillips as counsel for Anderson's campaign. Phillips has represented clients in several high-profile election disputes in Lorain County. In multiple recent Ohio Supreme Court cases, including this one, the court denied relief to his clients. Owens, in all likelihood, will succeed incumbent Jim Forthofer, who opted against running for re-election. He's served as the city's mayor since 2018.