ASHLAND — Ashland County voters on Tuesday chose a former deputy and arson investigator to serve as their top law enforcement officer.
Final, unofficial results from the Ashland County Board of Elections show Kurt Schneider, 51, as the victor over opponent Chad Enderby, a former Ohio State Highway patrolman.
Schneider said the win is “a great win for Ashland County,” as supporters gathered at the American Legion cheered and applauded.
“I assure you we will give them everything they deserve,” he said of Ashland County residents. “We will keep them safe, we will protect their rights, keep this county flourishing and keep growing.”
Schneider earned 4,542 of the 8,638 votes cast in the county, gleaning him 52.58%.
He will appear on the ballot in November as the sole candidate for the job that pays $78,926 annually. No Democratic or Independent candidates filed for election in Ashland County.
Schneider will replace E. Wayne Risner, who has been at the helm for the last 23 years. His tenure is the longest for any sheriff in Ashland County history.
Risner was one of dozens of supporters who gathered at the American Legion to watch as election results dropped on the Ashland County Board of Elections website.
‘It wasn’t an easy campaign’
Risner said he is confident Schneider is the right man for the job.
“It wasn’t an easy campaign,” Risner said. “But Schneider has been working on this for the last two years. He was prepared.”
Schneider lives on East Main Street with his wife, Candice, in a house next to Ashland Drive Thru II and Car Wash — a business Candice has operated since October 2014. Candice Schneider also works at the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office.
He currently works for Bensen Fire and Safety Consulting. He’s had the job since 2012.
Schneider worked at the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office from 2003 to 2016. He has worked in various law enforcement agencies around the state since 1994, including as arson investigator for the Ohio Fire Marshal.
His campaign has centered around the 911 dispatch center. Schneider has promised to re-establish the sheriff office’s 911 dispatch center as the hub for emergency communication within the city and county.
The city and county used to share a dispatch center, located in the sheriff’s Justice Center complex. In 2016, the city left the county to join WARCOG. The move cost Ashland County, at the time, about $420,000 a year in revenue.
The sheriff’s office still operates a county dispatch center, but city police and fire dispatches are routed to WARCOG, which Schneider has said results in delays to emergencies.
Enderby concedes
Enderby and his wife, Sandy, gathered with friends, family and supporters at Mt. Vernon Estate to watch as results came in.
He told supporters he came 500 votes short and that he’s disappointed with the result, given the amount of work they poured into his campaign.
“We would not have changed a thing,” Enderby said.
Enderby said the election will “forever change the political landscape of Ashland County,” and shows that bringing in people from out of state to work on a campaign can win elections here.
But, he emphasized that he was “incredibly humbled” by the people in the room.
Sandy Enderby wished Schneider “good luck.”
“I think our city missed out on a wonderful person to lead that sheriff’s department but as the type of individuals we are, we wish good luck to the next sheriff and we’ll be praying for the sheriff’s department,” she said.
The room gave the Enderbys a standing ovation after they both spoke.
Enderby has worked as the human resources director for the city of Ashland since October 2021. Before that, he logged 29 years with the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
