An Eden Township trustee has launched an independent campaign for Seneca County commissioner, giving voters the only alternative to the incumbent on a November ballot that no Democrat entered.

David Ziegler announced his candidacy Monday, casting himself as a practical local official rather than a party politician. He is the sole opponent to Republican Commissioner Bill Frankart in the Tuesday, Nov. 3 general election.

“I’ve never been interested in politics for politics’ sake,” Ziegler said. “Public office is about serving your neighbors. Every decision I make as Commissioner will begin with one question: Is this what’s best for the people of Seneca County? If the answer is no, then it’s the wrong decision.”

The matchup is unusual for a county where Republicans typically face no general election opposition at all. No Democrat filed for the commissioner seat, so the primary was effectively the only contested vote until Ziegler qualified as an independent. Frankart held the Republican nomination by 53 votes in the May 5 primary, finishing with 3,051 votes to Clinton Township trustee Jim Distel’s 2,998 — a margin of less than one percentage point.

That primary was itself part of an unusual season of Republican infighting in Seneca County, with contested races in 30 of the county’s 51 GOP central committee precincts.

Who Ziegler is

Ziegler is one of Eden Township’s three trustees, according to the county’s directory of elected officials, serving alongside Kenneth Bish and Vern Morter. His campaign says he has held the seat for three consecutive terms.

According to his campaign website, Ziegler was born to Paul and Dorothy (Beeler) Ziegler, was raised on a farm in Bloom Township and graduated from Mohawk High School in 1987. He works at Schilling Propane, an Upper Sandusky company that serves Seneca County, as a delivery driver, service technician and sales associate. He and his wife, Judy (Peer) Ziegler, live in Eden Township. Judy Ziegler is listed as the campaign’s treasurer.

Wind turbines and the SB 52 fight

Ziegler’s announcement leans heavily on his opposition to industrial wind development, an issue that dominated rural Seneca County politics for much of the last decade.

That record is documented at the Statehouse. In March 2021, Ziegler submitted written testimony to the Ohio Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee supporting Senate Bill 52, identifying himself as an Eden Township trustee and writing that residents “must be allowed to have the opportunity for a vote” on local decisions affecting their property and safety. Gov. Mike DeWine signed the bill that July. Effective Oct. 11, 2021, it gave county commissioners the power to block or shrink large wind and solar projects before they reach the Ohio Power Siting Board.

Seneca County commissioners used that power quickly. At their meeting on Nov. 23, 2021, they voted to designate every unincorporated area of the county a restricted area, barring economically significant wind farms, large wind farms and large solar facilities countywide. That vote came more than a year before Frankart took office; he was elected in November 2022 and began his term Jan. 1, 2023.

Seneca is far from alone. Republican commissioners in 27 Ohio counties have used the law to bar wind and solar in their jurisdictions, and a study cited in earlier reporting found state and local restrictions have blocked billions of watts of generation that residents ultimately pay for in higher bills. Those bans are not always permanent: Richland County residents forced a countywide referendum on their commissioners’ ban this spring, and voters kept it in place by a margin of 52.9% to 47.1%.

Ziegler’s campaign says he stood with residents and initiated resolutions that helped keep turbine projects out of Eden Township and the county. Township records documenting those resolutions were not reviewed for this article.

What he says he would do

Ziegler’s campaign lists six priorities: giving every resident a voice in county decisions, improving roads, bridges and infrastructure, applying a business-minded approach to the county budget, increasing transparency and accountability, supporting first responders, and cutting what he calls wasteful spending while keeping taxes as low as possible.

His campaign also credits him with improving township roads and signage, replacing aging equipment, upgrading the township maintenance facility, securing grant funding for a community park and helping produce a township budget surplus. Those are campaign claims; township financial records were not reviewed for this article.

“When people elect you, they’re trusting you to stand up for them,” Ziegler said. “Whether it’s improving public safety, protecting our communities, or making smart financial decisions, I’ve always believed your job is to do what’s right for the people you represent.”

He framed his independent status as a rejection of party politics in county government.

“My goal is simple: make decisions that put Seneca County residents first,” Ziegler said. “Government doesn’t exist to serve itself—it exists to serve the people. I want every resident to know they’ll have a Commissioner who listens, works hard, spends their tax dollars wisely, and isn’t afraid to stand up for what’s right.”

The incumbent

Frankart, a grain farmer who served 15 years as an Adams Township trustee, is the current president of the three-member board, which also includes Anthony Paradiso and Brent Busdeker. He operates Ridge View Farms and Sand Ridge Real Estate LLC and owns the Historic Octagon House near Green Springs, which he rents as an event venue, according to his campaign website.

His first term has drawn scrutiny. One day before the May primary, the Advertiser-Tribune reported that Frankart acknowledged under oath that some of his past public statements about a local landfill and oversight of the regional solid waste district were inaccurate and were not corrected. The deposition was taken as part of litigation involving the Ottawa-Sandusky-Seneca Joint Solid Waste Management District.

He has also faced questions over his handling of the Seneca Poultry operation in Bloom Township, the township where Ziegler was raised. A county health district timeline obtained by TiffinOhio.net showed Frankart called the health commissioner in January to raise concerns about her inquiry into the facility. Months later he told voters in a candidate questionnaire that the operation was locally monitored by the Seneca County Soil and Water Conservation District — a claim the Seneca Conservation District publicly corrected, confirming that oversight rests exclusively with the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Ziegler closed his announcement on the county’s prospects rather than his opponent’s record.

“I want people to feel proud of Seneca County,” he said. “We have hardworking people, strong communities, and tremendous potential. If we stay focused on serving the people instead of political agendas, I believe our best days are still ahead.”

The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.