Democrat Ryan Grissinger, Republican Renee Vaughan compete for county commissioner spot

DELAWARE — Voters will choose between Democrat Ryan Grissinger and Republican Renee Vaughan on Nov. 3 to fill an open seat on the Delaware County Board of Commissioners.

The winner will replace Commissioner Barb Lewis, who has served since 2015 and is not seeking reelection. The new commissioner will take office Jan. 2, joining Gary Merrell and Jeff Benton.

Commissioners are responsible for setting the county’s budget, approving spending and managing county property, as well as making decisions on issues like economic development, water and sewer systems and annexations.

Lewis, Benton and Merrell are all registered Republicans, according to the Ohio Board of Elections voter search.

The elected candidate will serve a four-year term with a starting annual salary of $112,502, with increases set by the Ohio Revised Code.

Both Vaughan and Grissinger were sent the same set of questions from Delaware Source. Their responses appear below, lightly edited for clarity and length.

Find your voting precinct via the Ohio Voter Lookup.

Renee Vaughan

Galena resident Renee Vaughan, 55, is a Genoa Township Trustee and has been for six years. Vaughan is also president of the Delaware County Township Association and director of the Ohio Township Association.

She said these experiences have prepared her to be Delaware County’s next commissioner.

“I’ve worked to promote responsible growth, protect public safety, ensure transparency and make thoughtful decisions about how taxpayer dollars are spent,” Vaughan said.

“As director of the Ohio Township Association, I work closely with township leaders across Delaware County and throughout Ohio to stay informed about issues affecting our communities.”

Vaughan said she’s running now because the county is at a “critical point” in its growth.

“Residents are experiencing the effects of development that is outpacing infrastructure, increasing traffic and putting pressure on our schools and communities. We need leadership that plans responsibly, protects taxpayers and ensures that growth benefits the people who already call Delaware County home,” she said.

Vaughan said her highest priorities for Delaware County are managing growth responsibly and maintaining fiscal responsibility.

During her first year in office, Vaughan said she would work with township, city and village leaders to “identify priority infrastructure needs, evaluate where development is placing the greatest demands on roads and public services and establish a coordinated plan to address those needs.”

She also wants growth to attract more manufacturing and “knowledge-based” jobs in the area to create opportunities for residents to work closer to home, thus putting less of a strain on roads due to frequent commuting and strengthening the county’s economy.

But she anticipates balancing the benefits of new development with the costs it creates for existing residents that will make decision-making harder.

“The key is location. We must encourage the right types of development in the right places, where infrastructure can support it and where it complements the character of our communities,” she said.

As for how to address fiscal responsibility, Vaughan said she has already reviewed the county’s 2025 and 2026 budgets and met with staff to discuss finances and spending priorities.

She would similarly spend her first year reviewing county spending and budget commitments “to identify potential inefficiencies” and “evaluate whether programs are delivering value.”

Vaughan said she also understands residents have conflicting views about the importance of development and funding for various programs. She plans to create regular opportunities for residents to speak with her and her fellow commissioners outside formal meetings.

She also hopes to make decision-making more understandable by providing thorough explanations about the reasoning, impacts and how taxpayer dollars will be spent.

“My goal is to ensure residents understand county decisions and have a meaningful opportunity to provide input,” she said.

Ryan Grissinger

Democrat Ryan Grissinger, 49, is a Genoa Township resident who has never pursued public office before now.

He was formerly the chief technology officer at Roof Maxx for eight years and now runs Polaris Pixels, an AI consulting firm for businesses.

Grissinger said he’s running because the decisions made now while the county is undergoing rapid growth will shape the future his kids and nieces will live in.

“As a resident, I’ve often felt unheard by the people elected to represent me,” he said. “So this year I’ve done the homework: sitting in on commissioner sessions, touring county sewer plants, meeting with county officials and reporting back to neighbors in short videos.”

He plans to continue producing those videos for transparency, along with hosting an evening session the night before a morning meeting when a vote may impact a specific part of the county, allowing people to speak without taking a day off work.

“When residents misunderstand a county decision, that usually means the county didn’t explain it well or didn’t listen first. So the first step is listening better and showing up where people already are,” Grissinger said.

Grissinger said his top two priorities for the county are managing infrastructure needs before development occurs and protecting household bills from price spikes caused by central Ohio data centers.

“In my first year, I’ll ask the board to work with the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission on a yearly public growth forecast showing what the development already approved will cost in roads, sewer, EMS and taxes,” he said.

“The commission already tracks that development. No public report ties it to what it will cost to serve. Every sewer, road and incentive vote should cite that forecast.”

In addition to tracking the cost, Grissinger wants to build infrastructure ahead of the growth, and pay for it with tools including sewer capacity charges, New Community Authority charges and tax increment financing.

“County planners project that six places will take about three quarters of new residents through 2027: the city of Delaware, Liberty, Orange, Sunbury, Berlin and Berkshire townships. County sewer, road and EMS spending should follow that map,” he said.

Because of that predicted growth, he supports the 2026 budget adding EMS staffing for that area and the new station off I-71 in Sunbury, sharing space with the BST&G Fire District.

“That’s the kind of efficiency I’d look for everywhere,” Grissinger said.

But if there are other services that aren’t growing or aren’t producing measurable results, Grissinger wants to look at how to address things before granting a budget increase.

“Growing demand and good results make the case for more money. Weak results mean the service needs a fix before it gets a raise,” he said.

As for managing the cost of electric and water bills, Grissinger said he will propose a policy requiring projects asking the county for infrastructure, incentives or approvals to name its parent company and publish its expected water use, power demand and noise before the vote.

“If a company won’t put its name and its numbers in public, the county shouldn’t sign,” he said.