Shane Gunnoe, Colby Byrom to face off in November general election for Dover mayor

Jon Baker, The Times-Reporter

May 3, 2023 at 7:12 AM·2 min read

Dover Mayor Shane Gunnoe celebrates his primary win Tuesday at Krocker’s Bar and Grill. Pictured standing at left is his brother, Troy. Seated at right in red is City Council President Justin Perkowski.

DOVER ‒ Republican Shane Gunnoe will face Democrat Colby Byrom in November to be the next mayor of the city of Dover.

Gunnoe, who has been leading the city for nearly a year as mayor, cruised to an easy victory over Nicholas Homrighausen in the Republican primary Tuesday. According to unofficial totals from the Tuscarawas County Board of Election, Gunnoe received 1,176 votes to 156 for Homrighausen.

More election news: 'Thoughtful questions' asked at Dover candidates forum

Byrom was unopposed in the Democratic primary. He received 616 votes.

"Certainly it was an intense race," Gunnoe said Tuesday evening. "There was a lot of passion on both sides, and a lot of information was sent out in the closing days to try and make it a referendum on the leadership I've provided the city of Dover over the last couple of years as council president and mayor.

"The voters have spoken, and I'm grateful to them for their support."

Dover Mayor Shane Gunnoe, center, tracks primary election results on his phone at Krocker’s Bar and Grill. Standing at left is his brother, Troy, as well as Gerry Mroczkowski, human resources/safety director of Dover.

He said he was surprised by his margin of victory. He noted that he and his supporters knocked on about 3,500 doors over the last couple of weeks, and both he and Homrighausen conducted a substantial advertising blitz just before the election.

Justin Perkowski is sworn in as City Council president by Law Director Doug O'Meara during a regular session of Dover City Council, on June 7. Helping to administer the oath is Jase, 6, and Reagan, 3.

Justin Perkowski wins Republican nomination

Council President Justin Perkowski won by a substantial margin over his opponent, Zach Wallick in the Republican primary Tuesday. According to unofficial totals, Perkowski received 984 votes to Wallick's 345. Perkowski is unopposed in the fall.

Perkowski has served as council president for the past year, replacing Gunnoe, who was named interim mayor when former Mayor Richard Homrighausen was suspended from office in May 2022 while Homrighausen was awaiting trial on theft in office charges. Homrighausen was later convicted on those charges.

"This is the second time in two years I've had to run a race that I was opposed in," Perkowski said. "The support from the voters has been tremendous."

He said he kept his campaign positive and talked about what elected officials have done for the city and how they plan to move Dover forward in the future.

Other Dover election results

Councilwoman Gina Space defeated Law Director Doug O'Meara in the Democratic primary for that office. Space received 455 votes to 337 for O'Meara, according to unofficial totals. She will be unopposed in the November general election.

In the Ward 2 Republican primary, Councilman Kevin Korns easily defeated his challenger, Sean Ring. Korns got 387 votes, while Ring received 100, according to unofficial totals. Korns is unopposed in the fall.

In the Ward 4 Republican race, Nate Johnson defeated challenger Marcus A. Schwarm 123 votes to 36, according to unofficial totals. He will face Councilman Bob Mueller, a Democrat, in the fall.

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Shane Gunnoe wins Republican primary for Dover mayor