The Lorain County Board of Elections has certified the Nov. 4, 2025 General Election ballot, listing Russell Owens as the sole candidate for mayor in Vermilion. Former mayoral candidate Jean A. Anderson’s name appears on the certified list as “WITHDRAWN.”
The certification was announced in a Board social media post on Thursday, Aug. 14, directing the public to its website for the complete list of candidates and issues. While the posted list confirms Anderson’s withdrawal, it does not address whether another candidate could be added in her place.
In Ohio, when a candidate for municipal office withdraws after filing, state law (Ohio Revised Code §3513.31[F]) allows the committee of five electors listed on the original petition to name a replacement. This must be done in writing, under oath, with the replacement’s signed acceptance, and filed no later than the 86th day before the election. The statute does not permit changes to the committee after the petition has been filed.
According to Paul R. Adams, Director of the Lorain County Board of Elections, Anderson’s attorney, Gerald Phillips, attempted to submit a committee of five after the petition had already been filed. That newly named committee then selected Beth A. Deck as Anderson’s replacement. Adams said nothing like this has been attempted in Lorain County before, and because Ohio law prohibits modifying a filed petition, he has referred the matter to the Lorain County Prosecutor for review.
Beth A. Deck is the Republican State Central Committeewoman for Ohio’s 2nd District, elected in 2024 to the party’s governing body. A Vermilion resident, Deck previously ran unsuccessfully for Vermilion City Council At-Large in 2023 and for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District in the 2022 Republican primary. She is retired from the Ohio Department of Veterans Services, where she managed statewide veterans’ programs, and has also held leadership roles in Pennsylvania’s Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and in community mental health services.
Vermilion Daily will provide updates as more information becomes available.
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