I have found that busy people often are the ones who get things done. Nancy McArthur
After two rounds of ballots, The Geauga County Republican Central Committee declared Nancy McArthur chairwoman of the Republican party last Thursday.
McArthur, who is in her second term as a member of Chardon City Council, said she was encouraged to run for the position by members of the central committee and she looks forward to serving with Rich Dobre as vice chairman, Jane Zimmerman as secretary and Kevin O’Reilly as treasurer of the party.
All were elected Thursday.
She defeated Linda O’Brien by several votes and took office immediately, McArthur said.
A total of 64 members attended the meeting requiring 33 votes — or 50 percent plus one — to win the election, said Diane Ryder, who attended the meeting.
Ryder, who called the election very stressful, said she is hopeful the transition of leadership roles will be smooth and she was enthusiastic about McArt-hur’s election.
“Nancy will be very good. She has great ideas and is innovative,” Ryder said, adding she thinks McArthur will bring more younger people into the party.
“It’s a lot of work,”?she said.
When Ryder’s husband, Ed, who has been chairman of the party for more than a decade, announced his plans to retire from the office, members of the committee and the party asked McArthur to run for the job, the new chairwoman said.
The week before the election, she sent a letter to the committee outlining her plans for leadership of the GOP in Geauga County if she and her slate of officers were elected.
“Together, we are committed to unifying our party by being inclusive of everyone on central committee and in our local party. We plan to grow the party with outreach efforts,” she said, adding that helping elect Republican candidates to office and promoting the party principles are part of the program.
McArthur served on the city’s planning commission for five years before being elected to Chardon City Council. She now serves as vice chair and vice president of council.
She is also the Republican candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 99 and is currently organizing her campaign for the November election.
“It sounds like a full plate, and it is, but I have found that busy people often are the ones who get things done,” McArthur said.
She is the small business relationship manager at KeyBank in Chardon with more than 25 years in management, sales and marketing, public relations, and legal and financial services in her own business and working for others, according to her letter.
McArthur said she doesn’t expect her campaign or being elected to the House to present a conflict with her position with the central committee because her background in public service equips her to work collaboratively with others.
“My business experience and leadership skills have helped me work well with my colleagues on Chardon City Council and with our city staff, so that together, we have accomplished a great deal,” she said.
McArthur and her husband, Michael, have lived in Chardon for 18 years and their daughter, Kelley Bodwell, is married and lives in Athens.
Her son, Keenan, will be a junior next year at Chardon High School. She is a member of Chardon Tomorrow, Chardon Square Association, the Geauga Lyric Theater Guild, Chardon Chamber of Commerce and Red Key Network.
Editor’s Note: Diane Ryder is a freelance writer for the Geauga County Maple Leaf.
