By Ryan Berry
DailyAdvocate.com
GREENVILLE — There is only one incumbent returning to the board of directors for the Darke County Agricultural Society after the elections were held on Thursday. Marla Werner who was the only candidate to complete the most recent three-year term, earned 270 votes to finish third in the voting.
Werner has been serving as treasurer for the organization and has pushed for bringing the fair up-to-speed with inclusivity. She has been a strong supporter of the Junior Fair Board with their Hearts of Darke County program that focuses on persons with disabilities, as well as securing an adult changing table and creating a quiet room. She was elected to serve a three-year term.
Two new faces will join the directors this December. Christoph Keller overwhelmingly received the most votes for the three-year term with 340. Apollo Perez finished second in the race for a two-year term – beating out Brian Rismiller who was appointed to the board this past winter. Perez finished with 274 votes and Rismiller had 251.
Three directors who were appointed this past winter will return to the board as elected members in December. Russell Skaggs was the second highest vote getter with 273 votes. Skaggs has been a huge promoter of the fair and fairgrounds on his Facebook Page and has assisted Dean Neff with raising funds through the Gator Raffle. Curtis Yount was the fourth highest vote getter for the three-year term and took the final seat. Yount has already put his knowledge of building codes to use when the board discusses new buildings.
Craig Bowman ran for a two-year seat and came away with the highest vote total of all those up for election. He earned 351 votes. Bowman has been instrumental in helping put together the harness racing program for the fair.
In addition to Rismiller, those missing out on a seat on the board were Douglas Martin, a former board president, with 194 votes, Holly Daugherty with 148 votes, Kathleen Ditmer with 122 votes and Allen Pierron with 106 votes. All but Rismiller had sought a three-year term.
To contact Daily Advocate Editor Ryan Berry, email [email protected].
