Badalamenti and Pavliga lost their re-election bids after primary challenges from sheriff-backed newcomers

Incumbent county commissioner Tony Badalamenti will not serve another term after this fall’s election, having lost his primary campaign to his Republican challenger, Jill L. Crawford, in a very close race.

According to the unofficial final results posted March 19 on the Portage County Board of Elections website, Badalamenti received 7,676 votes. Crawford won 7,850. She will face Democrat Carmen Lisa Laudato in November.

Incumbent commissioner Sabrina K. Christian-Bennett will be on the ballot in November after earning 8,457 votes. Her Republican challenger, Sherry Griffith, received 6,851. There was no Democratic nominee on the ballot for that role.

At the state level, incumbent Gail Pavliga lost her campaign as the Republican nominee for the state representative for the 72nd district to Heidi Workman. The 72nd district represents most of Portage County. Workman, who won 7,627 of the votes to Pavliga’s 4,796, will face Nathaniel Adams in November.

The divide in the Republican party in the county has been significant in recent months, with Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski, a Republican who did not face any challengers this primary, endorsing Crawford, Griffith and Workman. Zuchowski will face Democrat Jon Barber in the fall.

Levy results

Ravenna Township’s additional 6.1-mill levy passed, 963 to 700. The Ravenna schools additional levy, however, failed: 1,588 for the 6.9-mill levy and 2,156 against it.

The township levy will take the place of a previously passed 5-mill levy, meaning residents will effectively see a 1.1-mill increase. The funds will help support increased emergency staffing.

Elsewhere in the county, Edinburg Township and Paris Township both had renewal levies on the ballot — Paris Township actually had two — which all passed. The Aurora schools also had a renewal levy on the ballot, which passed 2,211 to 1,315.

The Mogadore schools, which serve both Portage and Summit counties, had a 5.9-mill additional tax levy on the ballot. It decisively failed in Portage County: 266 against and 192 for it. In Summit, the numbers were far closer, but just about 51% of voters were against it.

And the Mantua-Shalersville Fire District had a 0.9 mill-replacement tax levy on the ballot that passed easily: 1,230 to 739.