St. Marys elects new treasurer, council member

ST. MARYS - Voters in St. Marys chose a new city treasurer and second ward council member Tuesday after incumbents of those positions chose not to run for re-election, and also confirmed first ward councilman John Bubp's re-election.

Treasurer

The race for city treasurer was tight, with Frank Thomas, 74, just winning out over competitor Kathy Fleagle, 62. Thomas received 463 votes, or a little over 51%, while Fleagle received 437.

Both candidates filed to run after incumbent Dennis Pfeffenberger, who served in the position since 2013, did not file for re-election.

Thomas is a St. Marys native who told the newspaper he wanted to get more involved in the city and felt his background in finance management would come in handy as treasurer. A Vietnam veteran, Thomas retired from Honda of America in Anna, serves on the St. Marys Zoning Board and the facade committee, is the former quartermaster of the St. Marys VFW and currently the general manager of the Eagles. He and his wife also once owned a business called Little White House.

First ward council seat

Incumbent John A. Bubp, 62, a Republican who has held a seat on the city council since 2011, easily won re-election Tuesday. He received 223 votes, while write-in candidate Bobby Adams received five.

Bubp retired in July 2020 after 32 years at the Honda of America Anna Engine Plant. He has a bachelor of science in marketing.

He told the newspaper he wanted to see the city grow and prosper, for citizens to enjoy living there and to ensure there is proper infrastructure in place to make living in the city enjoyable. He hoped to continue overseeing projects such as electrical grid upgrades, water quality projects and the planned pedestrian bridge across U.S. 33 to the middle/high school campus.

Second ward council seat

Ashley Randolph, 30, snatched up the seat left open by incumbent councilman Kenneth Koverman, who did not file to run for re-election this year. Randolph received 204 votes, or nearly 49% of the vote.

Her opponents David A Lunz and Kyle A. Schmehl received 133 votes (about 32%) and 81 votes (about 19%) respectively.

Randolph has long been engaged in the happenings of St. Marys, serving on various city boards, commissions and in independent community groups. She is a 2009 graduate of Memorial High School, a 2016 graduate of Wright State University-Lake Campus and a 2020 Hondros College graduate. She is a real estate agent with Cisco Realty and has two daughters.

She has been on the St. Marys Zoning Board and the Civil Service Commission since 2015 and also regularly attends St. Marys Area Resource Team (SMART) meetings, and was active in this year's First Friday events. She also serves on the St. Marys Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Randolph previously told the paper she had a number of goals to complete if elected, including the completion of the All Abilities Park, setting aside funds to finish Keel Drive and connect it to Hillcrest Drive, and the construction of a safer pedestrian crosswalk across Indiana Avenue near St. Marys Square.