Paradiso appointed new county commissioner

Tony Paradiso was a selected from a field of six candidates as Seneca County's new commissioner Monday evening by the local Republic Central Committee. He replaces Holly Stacy, who resigned in June from her seat to pursue another opportunity. Running against Paradiso were Jim Cline, Bill Frankart, Charles Knight, Charlie Palmer and Bill Schultz. During the meeting at North Central Ohio Educational Service Center, each candidate spoke and answered questions before the vote was taken. The choice was made in only one roll-call vote. Paradiso, who lives in Pleasant Township, is co-owner of BAS Broadcasting, which owns seven radio stations, including Tiffin's WTTF. He has worked in business leadership and has served the community in several ways, as a member of the board of trustees of Heidelberg University. During his speech before the vote, Paradiso said he had started a few months ago to put together a campaign to run for Stacy's seat. "Holly's resignation caused us to put our plans into motion faster," he said. He said he has a long-term commitment to the county and the community. "My personal goal is to give back, pay forward and make a difference for Seneca County," he said during he speech. "I will be a full-time county commissioner from day one and I have no agenda." Paradiso described himself as a high-energy guy." "I'm excited," he said after his appointment. "I'm ready to get started. I've very appreciative of the confidence that was bestowed on me. That's the big thing." He said this is the first time he'll serve in a county office. "I love our county. We have a lot of good things going on," he said. "The county is bigger than Tiffin. It's Fostoria. It's the townships." He will be sworn in as the new commissioner after paperwork in completed. Republican Party Chairman David Koehl said the process should take about 10 days. Also Monday evening, the committee voted to endorse Rep. Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin) in his bid to become a state senator. Although committee members discussed that it was unusual for the committee to endorse a candidate, especially this early in the process, members decided overwhelmingly to make the endorsement.