County commissioner won’t seek re-election
Adam Friedrick supports term limits; says two terms in office enough
MEDINA – County Commissioner Adam Friedrick has announced he does not plan to seek re-election next year and one potential replacement has already announced her intentions to run in his place in the Republican primary.
County Recorder Colleen Swedyk has announced she will be a candidate for Medina County commissioner next year.
Swedyk filed petitions with the Medina County Board of Elections Nov. 27, which made her the first to become an official candidate for the county commissioner seat currently held by Friedrick.
Friedrick is completing his second term as county commissioner and said he does not intend to seek a third term in office.
“I believe in term limits and always said I would only serve two terms,” Friedrick said. “I like what I do and think I could win re-election but I think it’s now someone else’s turn.”
Swedyk said she would not have run against Friedrick but is expecting at least one other challenger in the Republican primary election in May.
Former County Commissioner Tim Smith said he would like to run for commissioner again after he lost a primary challenge from current County Commissioner Bill Hutson last year.
However, Smith is reconsidering his position now that Swedyk has announced her candidacy for commissioners.
“She’s a strong candidate,” Smith said. “I initially thought I’d run again because I didn’t think there would be any other candidates who could do as good a job as I would.”
Smith did not completely rule out another run for commissioner but also noted that his new job is keeping him busy and satisfied. He became director of sales for Lightspeed Hosting in Medina earlier this year and said he is enjoying selling Internet services to area businesses.
Smith is a former Brunswick City councilman with a background in computer services. He is also a strong supporter of the Medina County fiber communications network which he championed in his role as county commissioner.
Another potential Republican challenger is Wadsworth City Councilman Dave Williams, who has faithfully attended weekly commissioner meetings for the past year. However, he declined to comment when asked if he was planning to fun for commissioner.
Swedyk has served as Medina County recorder for the past 11 years. She also served as Hinckley Township’s fiscal officer for 13 years, many of those years overlapping with her time as county recorder.
Swedyk holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Baldwin-Wallace College and a master’s degree in integrated social studies and education from the University of Akron.
The 53-year-old Swedyk was easily re-elected to her third term as recorder in 2016 when she got 70 percent of the vote against Democrat Susan Luf who did little to mount a campaign against Swedyk.
Friedrick won his seat on the board of commissioners in 2010 when he defeated Democrat Bill Lamb, a former Medina mayor and current Medina councilman. Friedrick was also challenged by Democrat Elisa Kazek in 2014.
Smith became a county commissioner when the Medina County Republican Party Central Committee appointed him to complete the unexpired term of Steve Hambley in 2015. He then lost to Hutson in the Republican primary the following year.
No Democrats have yet announced their intentions to run for county commissioner next year.
Candidates who wish to appear on partisan ballots in the May primary have until Feb. 7 to file with the Board of Elections.
County Recorder Colleen Swedyk has announced she will be a candidate for Medina County commissioner next year.
Swedyk filed petitions with the Medina County Board of Elections Nov. 27, which made her the first to become an official candidate for the county commissioner seat currently held by Friedrick.
Friedrick is completing his second term as county commissioner and said he does not intend to seek a third term in office.
“I believe in term limits and always said I would only serve two terms,” Friedrick said. “I like what I do and think I could win re-election but I think it’s now someone else’s turn.”
Swedyk said she would not have run against Friedrick but is expecting at least one other challenger in the Republican primary election in May.
Former County Commissioner Tim Smith said he would like to run for commissioner again after he lost a primary challenge from current County Commissioner Bill Hutson last year.
However, Smith is reconsidering his position now that Swedyk has announced her candidacy for commissioners.
“She’s a strong candidate,” Smith said. “I initially thought I’d run again because I didn’t think there would be any other candidates who could do as good a job as I would.”
Smith did not completely rule out another run for commissioner but also noted that his new job is keeping him busy and satisfied. He became director of sales for Lightspeed Hosting in Medina earlier this year and said he is enjoying selling Internet services to area businesses.
Smith is a former Brunswick City councilman with a background in computer services. He is also a strong supporter of the Medina County fiber communications network which he championed in his role as county commissioner.
Another potential Republican challenger is Wadsworth City Councilman Dave Williams, who has faithfully attended weekly commissioner meetings for the past year. However, he declined to comment when asked if he was planning to fun for commissioner.
Swedyk has served as Medina County recorder for the past 11 years. She also served as Hinckley Township’s fiscal officer for 13 years, many of those years overlapping with her time as county recorder.
Swedyk holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Baldwin-Wallace College and a master’s degree in integrated social studies and education from the University of Akron.
The 53-year-old Swedyk was easily re-elected to her third term as recorder in 2016 when she got 70 percent of the vote against Democrat Susan Luf who did little to mount a campaign against Swedyk.
Friedrick won his seat on the board of commissioners in 2010 when he defeated Democrat Bill Lamb, a former Medina mayor and current Medina councilman. Friedrick was also challenged by Democrat Elisa Kazek in 2014.
Smith became a county commissioner when the Medina County Republican Party Central Committee appointed him to complete the unexpired term of Steve Hambley in 2015. He then lost to Hutson in the Republican primary the following year.
No Democrats have yet announced their intentions to run for county commissioner next year.
Candidates who wish to appear on partisan ballots in the May primary have until Feb. 7 to file with the Board of Elections.
