Written by Back in March 2024, there were two seats open on the Marion County Board of Commissioners. longtime Republican incumbent Andy Appelfeller was challenged by Tim Mooney, while incumbent Kerr Murray was challenged by Kevin Davidson and Jason Schaber.
As you can see from the results, Appelfeller retained his seat on the board, defeating Mooney by a score of 53.49% to 46.51%.
In the other race, Murray was defeated by challenger Kevin Davidson, with Davidson receiving 39.56% of the vote to Murray’s 29.59% and Schaber’s 30.85%.
The 2026 race will feature a matchup between Tim Mooney, Christy Neff, Jason Schaber and Ken Stiverson. They’ll all be vying for the same four-year seat on the board, which will be vacated by one-termer Mark Davis who decided not to seek reelection.
Geographically speaking, both Stiverson and Mooney hail from Claridon Township in the county’s east side. Schaber resides in Marion City’s 3rd Ward, on its west side, and also has a family farm in Big Island Township. Neff lived in Marion city for many years, on its east side, but recently moved to the southeastern part of Marion Township.
As far as alma maters go, Stiverson graduated from Ridgedale, Mooney from River Valley, Schaber from Harding/Tri Rivers, and Neff from Pleasant.
Out of the four candidates, Stiverson, Mooney and Schaber have prior experience in elected office while this will be Neff’s first time in office if she’s elected.
Stiverson served eight years on River Valley’s School Board and 12 years as a Marion County Commissioner, prior to being primaried and defeated by, of all people, Mark Davis in 2022.
Mooney is currently in his 18th year as a Claridon Township Trustee and has also served on the board for First Consolidated Fire District.
Schaber, meanwhile, spent 14 years on Marion City Council and was primaried and defeated by Ralph Smith in 2025.
When it comes to Republican party dynamics, Stiverson currently serves as the Chairman of the Marion County Republican Party while both Mooney and Neff find themselves, by all accounts, in the good graces of the establishment of the party. Schaber, although a Republican and ideologically a conservative, is somewhat of an outspoken party outsider.
As far as endorsements go, current Marion County Commissioner Kevin Davidson–the only commissioner to vote against the deficit budget– has endorsed Tim Mooney while outgoing Marion County Commissioner Mark Davis has, based on his social media, unofficially endorsed Christy Neff. The Marion County Republican Party has made it clear that its bylaws don’t allow for primary endorsements (cough), so we shouldn’t be expecting anything from them–at least not officially.
And, finally, when it comes to youth and vitality, if elected, Schaber is the baby in the race at 50, followed by Neff at 54, Mooney at 69, and Stiverson at 78. Add four years to their ages to calculate how old they’ll be at the end of their terms.
I’ve posted a breakdown of the 2024 election results, just to give some context for what we can expect in this election.
As you can see, the county has a significantly higher Republican primary turnout, but the city’s 6th ward has a strong showing as well.
Both Stiverson and Mooney hail from Claridon Township, so it will be interesting to see how that township breaks. And in the city, how will Schaber and Neff fare?
Schaber, thus far, has been the only candidate to publicly oppose the proposed I71 / US23 connector highway. How will that play in Richland and Waldo Townships, with residents there facing the loss of land, homes and a way of life.
In a race featuring four fairly well-known candidates, the winner will likely be whoever garners 25-30% of the overall vote.
With the county approving a 2026 budget featuring a $4.5 million dollar deficit, this election will be of great consequence. And with no incumbent and four candidates, it’s one to watch.