TIFFIN โ Incumbent Republican Bill Frankart faces Independent candidate David Ziegler today in the race for Seneca County Commissioner. Frankart, a local farmer and business owner first elected to the commission in November 2022, enters Election Day surrounded by lingering controversies regarding his personal conduct and use of county resources.
According to court records and reports published by the Advertiser-Tribune, Frankart was involved in a contested custody dispute following his sonโs 2022 conviction on attempted rape charges, during which allegations of harassment were raised by the childโs mother.
Frankartโs office has also faced scrutiny over its public communications.
After a reporter with the Advertiser-Tribune in Tiffin, Kayla Trevino, wrote a detailed account of Frankartโs alleged wrongdoing based on police reports and court records about the case, he used a county employee and county funding to start a smear campaign. Criticisms quickly emerged after a county public information contractor Sherry Trusty published a disparaging story targeting Trevino onto a county website.
Though the post was later removed following public pushback, questions surrounding the use of taxpayer-funded media persisted. More recently, reports from local outlet TiffinOhio.net highlighted renewed concerns after a county account was used to highlight a political rally shortly before Election Day.
Ziegler, an Eden Township Trustee running without party affiliation, has campaigned on increasing transparency and reducing partisan influences in county government. With no Democratic candidate on the ballot, voters will choose between Frankart and Ziegler to determine the seat today.