Voters To Choose In State Representative, Senate Primaries

Due to Ohio's redistricting, the city of Mentor is now split between two districts for state representatives and two state Senate districts.

The representatives' 60th district is an open race without an incumbent because its current representative, Bob Hagan, now lives in the 58th district and will be running there.

The 60th district includes the fourth ward of Mentor, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Eastlake, Fairport, Grand River, Painesville, parts of Painesville Township, Wickliffe, Willoughby and Willowick.

Three democrats are facing off in the primary March 6. They are:

• Laura DePledge, an Eastlake councilwoman and attorney
• James Helmink, an attorney and small business web site developer from Willowick
• Dan Troy, a Lake County Commissioner who also served as a state representative from 1983 to 1996.

Whoever wins the primary will face off against Republican Lori DiNallo, who is running unopposed.

The neighboring 61st district includes the first, second and third wards of Mentor and the portions of Lake County that are not in the 60th district, as well as parts of Geauga and Portage County.

Both Republican Ron Young and Democrat Susan McGuinness are running unopposed in the primary.

Young is the representative for the 63rd district. However, due to the redistricting, he now lives and is running for re-election in the 61st.

McGuinness is a registered nurse and the Lake Health Board of Directors chairwoman.

The current representative for the 61st district, Democrat Mark Okey, is not running for re-election.

The 61st district is part of the 18th senatorial district in Ohio, which is also up for election this year.

Tim Grendell was the senator for that district but he gave up the position when he was appointed judge of the Geauga County Juvenile Court. John Eklund was appointed to finish Grendell's term.

State Sen. Eklund (R - Munson Township) is running unopposed in the Republican primary. He will face Democrat Jim Mueller, a Russell Township trustee who is also running unopposed in the primary, this November.

The 60th district is part of the 25th senatorial district. Its chair, which is held by Nina Turner of Cleveland, is not up for election this year.

If you're not sure which ward you live in, check out the Lake County Board Of Elections' polling place finder.