Bellefontaine Mayor, Ben Stahler, has announced his bid for re-election in 2023.
Stahler was born and raised in Bellefontaine and is a graduate of BHS.
He went on to earn a degree in Pharmacy from Ohio Northern University and worked as a pharmacist at Mary Rutan Hospital and CVS Pharmacy for a combined 35 years.
Stahler is married to Sara J. (Crawfis) Stahler and they’ll celebrate 40 years of marriage this summer. They have three adult children and five grandchildren; all of whom attend Bellefontaine City Schools.
Mr. Stahler was appointed to the office of Mayor in October 2014. He subsequently was elected to a four-year term in November 2015 and November 2019.
He previously served Bellefontaine City Council (2 terms, 1990-1993), was elected to Bellefontaine Board of Education (4 terms, 1996-2008), was appointed to the Ohio Hi-Point Board of Education (1996-2003) and the Logan County Board of Elections (2007–2015).
Mr. Stahler serves as chairman of the Logan County Mayor’s Association (since 2014) and is currently President-Elect of the Mayor’s Association of Ohio.
He is a volunteer docent at the Logan County Historical Center. Stahler presently serves as a member of Governor DeWine’s Task Force on Volunteer Fire Service. He is a member and Elder at the First United Presbyterian Church of Bellefontaine and a member of the local Rotary Club (39+ years).
In 2013, Stahler was honored with the Elks Lodge “Citizen of the Year.”
Stahler will face opposition in the upcoming May primary from Dave Crissman.