UPDATE @ 8:45 p.m. Oct. 24
Longtime Sidney Mayor Mike Barhorst’s name will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot.
A Shelby County Common Pleas judge’s recent decision on the case was reaffirmed by the 3rd District Court of Appeals in Lima.
Barhorst is running for re-election to Sidney City Council, but had his petitions thrown out recently by the Shelby County Board of Elections due to a legal technicality over the number of signatures on Barhorst’s petitions.
Both courts sided with Barhorst, and said the elections board erred in rejecting the petitions and “abused its discretion by invalidating Barharst’s petition.”
At issue was that the petition indicated there were 29 signatures though 30 names appeared because one person both printed and signed his name.
UPDATE @ 6 p.m. Sept. 10
A judge says Sidney’s longtime mayor, Mike Barhorst, can appear on the November ballot.
Shelby County Common Pleas Judge James Stevenson ordered the Shelby County Board of Elections to add Barhorst’s name to the ballot after the elections board last month refused to certify his petitions on a legal technicality over the number of signatures.
Barhorst sued to be allowed on the ballot to run for re-election to Sidney City Council.
FIRST REPORT
The longtime mayor of Sidney, Michael Barhorst, is asking Shelby County Common Pleas Court Judge to reinstate his petition and allow his name on the Nov. 3 ballot for another term on Sidney City Council.
The Shelby County Board of Elections recently threw out his petition on a technicality involving the number of signatures on one of his petitions.
Barhorst is seeking another four-year term on City Council. In Sidney’s charter form of government, members of council elect, from the ranks of council, the mayor and vice-mayor. Barhorst has been mayor for 10 years, eight of those consecutively.
An attorney representing Barhorst filed the complaint in Shelby County Common Pleas Court.
