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I’ve been at the front of this issue from the beginning. I serve as the business manager for IBEW Local 688, and yes, if a project were built, our members could benefit from the work.

But here’s the truth: there are no solar projects coming to Richland County right now, and there likely won’t be anytime soon.

The founding fathers understood that land ownership is the foundation of liberty. John Adams said, “property must be secure or freedom is a fantasy.”

And Ohio is in a crisis.

As a Richland County resident I would like to advocate on the May 5 ballot in Richland County to support landowners’ property rights by voting NO on the referendum that would disallow the Commissioners ban on utility solar and wind in certain townships.

I am voting NO to the Ban on Property Rights on May 5th.

I am a retired social studies teacher. My students and I read the United States Constitution word for word, cover to cover, annually for 40 years. We reviewed landmark Supreme Court cases and original historical documents.

As someone who has served in public office — and who has spent nearly three decades working in and around real estate — I believe it’s important to take a step back and look clearly at what the upcoming May 5th vote on solar and wind development restrictions in Richland County actually represents.

Richland County voters are deciding whether to reject a wind and solar ban. Organizations linked to pro-gas interests have given money to keep it in place.

I have lived in Richland County for a long time, and I have watched our county commissioners make decisions that affect every one of us. On May 5th, voters have a chance to push back on one of those decisions, and I hope you will not miss out on that opportunity.

I truly do appreciate Mr. Smith’s concern about protecting the natural beauty of our county. Living in the country I appreciate the natural beauty of my Possum Run area especially and under normal circumstances would agree with him wholeheartedly.

However, these are not normal times. Global warming is real and it’s a threat to our health and well-being. That point cannot be denied with any scientific credibility.

Richland County blocked large-scale renewables in most townships. Voters now have a rare opportunity to overturn that policy at the ballot box.

I am writing this letter to express my strong support for upholding private property rights, specifically the right of landowners to enter into voluntary agreements for solar, wind, or battery storage projects on their land.

I owe my entire life, career, and success to the opportunities Mansfield provided me as a young working man. It would be a shame to see the county so needlessly shut the door to opportunity in the upcoming referendum on May 5th.

Watch the interview.

As a mother and a former Mansfield City Council member, I’ve learned that the strongest communities are built on trust — trust in our neighbors to make thoughtful decisions about their own lives and their own land.

That’s why I’m voting “No” on the May 5th renewable energy ban referendum.

Dear Richland County Residents:

I am a grandmother who believes in freedom and science. I want to leave a better world behind for my children, grandchildren and generations to come. I have lived in Richland County my entire life as did my parents, grandparents and great grandparents.

To the editor, we need to talk about this May 5 wind and solar referendum. 

I have been reading the local newspaper for a few years. Last year, the Richland Source released an article about a future meeting of the county commissioners banning wind and solar development in parts of the county.

RICHLAND COUNTY, OH – Today, the Richland County Board of Elections certified ballot language for the May 5th referendum on the County Commissioners' ban on future large-scale solar and wind development.

As former Richland County Commissioners, we understand the weight of decisions that affect our community’s economic future and the rights of our neighbors. That’s why we’re deeply concerned about the ban on future renewable energy development that our current County Commissioners passed last summer — and why we’re asking voters to join us in voting […]

Richland County forbade large-scale renewable energy in most townships. Next May, voters will have a chance to reject the rules in a first-of-its-kind referendum.

Did you know that a single utility-scale solar project can be the region's highest economic driver, providing six times more jobs than other local sites? That’s what renewable energy development can mean for working families in Richland County. In plain terms, that means our neighbors get the first crack at the work. It keeps our people here, our paychecks here and our pride here.

While local labor unions were fighting to get on the jobsite of a solar project in neighboring Morrow County, the Richland County Commissioners were authorizing receipt of petitions from electors to have a referendum placed on the May 2026 ballot to allow large-scale solar and wind projects in Richland County.