Zanesville Clerk-Treasurer Challenged in Bluffton Re-Election Bid

Tara G. Bowersock, the sitting Zanesville Town Clerk-Treasurer, will not run unopposed this May. Fellow Republican Sydnee Dunkley filed to challenge Bowersock in the party's primary, setting up one of the more competitive local contests on the Wells County ballot.

Bowersock claimed the clerk-treasurer seat in November 2022, defeating Democrat Julie Christian in the general election. She has since appeared on the Wells County Republicans' roster of elected officials alongside Zanesville Town Council members John Schuhmacher and Issac Zent.

Dunkley's entry means the race will be decided before November, with Republican primary voters in Zanesville choosing between the incumbent and her challenger when polls open in May. Zent is the only Republican candidate listed for the Zanesville Town Council's at-large seats on the same ballot, running without opposition on the GOP side.

Bowersock drew an endorsement from Right to Life of Northeast Indiana, which listed her among its recommended candidates for the May primary. No Democratic candidate has filed for the clerk-treasurer seat, meaning the primary winner is positioned to hold the office.

Voter registration for the May primary closes Monday, April 6. Wells County voting centers open at 6 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. on primary day.