Elected Officials Directory

Benton’s career includes more than 35 years as a business executive in financial services and other industries. After graduating from Miami University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Accounting, he passed the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam on his initial attempt. He then joined Arthur Andersen and Company as an In-Charge Accountant, before moving to Wendy’s International in several finance and accounting roles. Benton worked in the banking industry for 30 years in executive positions with three different banks.

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Barb assumed office on January 1, 2015, following seven years’ public service as a Genoa Township Trustee, and was re-elected in November 2018 and to a third four-year term in November 2022. Her fellow Commissioners elected her President of the Board in 2016, 2019 and 2022, and Vice-President of the Board in 2015, 2021 and 2024.

Commissioner Lewis earned her Ph.D., M.A. and B.A. degrees in political science from The Ohio State University, where she taught hundreds of OSU students the fundamentals and ideals of American constitutional government.

Commissioner Lewis emphasizes government efficiency, citizen outreach, and maintaining good working relationships with all of Delaware County’s elected officials and leaders. She envisions our county as one unified, dynamic and growing community.

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Gary Merrell was elected to his first term as Delaware County Commissioner in November 2012 and assumed office on Jan. 2, 2013. In 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2021, Merrell was elected as President of the Board of Commissioners.

Prior to his election to office, Merrell has served with the Chamber of Commerce in both Athens and Delaware counties (formerly a board member and executive member) and Rotary Clubs where he has lived.

Merrell has also served as secretary of the executive committee of United Way of Delaware County, on the board of the Strand Theatre, and on the development council for the Stratford Ecological Center. He also serves on the board of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio (CCAO) and the County Risk Sharing Authority (CORSA); he has also served as a member of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) and on its executive committee. Other boards directly associated with his role as commissioner have included the 9-1-1 Board, DKMM Solid Waste District Board, and the Central Ohio Youth Center Board, to name a few. In addition, he is one of five board members for the Land Bank established in 2018.

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Judge David Gormley was elected to a seat on the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas in November 2014, and he took office in February 2015.

He earlier served for seven years – from January 2008 until February 2015 – as a judge on the Delaware Municipal Court.  From 2004 until 2007, Judge Gormley served as the Director of Legal Resources at the Supreme Court of Ohio, where he supervised that Court’s staff attorneys and provided legal counsel to the Court on a variety of issues.

From 1997 until 2003, Judge Gormley worked in the Ohio Attorney General’s office during the administration of Betty Montgomery.  Gormley served from 2000 until 2003 as the State Solicitor of Ohio.  In that position, he oversaw major civil and criminal appeals for the State of Ohio in both state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.  He also served as an assistant attorney general and as an associate solicitor in the Attorney General’s office, representing various state agencies and officials.

From 1993 until 1997, and then again in 2003, Judge Gormley served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Delaware County.  He earlier spent two years practicing commercial litigation at the Jenner & Block law firm in Chicago, and he served as a law clerk for Judge Albert Engel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit for one year after law school.

Judge Gormley holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Harvard University.

Judge James P. Schuck was elected to a seat on the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas in November 2018 and took office on January 1, 2019.

Prior to taking the bench, Judge Schuck practiced for 17 years with the law firm of Bricker & Eckler LLP.  His practice consisted primarily of complex and general commercial litigation, class actions, and ERISA litigation.

Immediately after law school, Judge Schuck served as a law clerk to the Honorable George C. Smith of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

Judge Schuck has served on the boards of Rebuilding Together Central Ohio, the Capital University Law School Alumni Association, and the Delaware County Law Library Resources Board.  From 2014-2018, he also served as Chairman of the Delaware County Republican Party.

Judge Schuck holds a bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University and his law degree from Capital University Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude and was a member of the Executive Board of the Capital University Law Review.

David A. Hejmanowski has served as the Judge of the Probate/Juvenile Division of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas since February of 2015 and was previously a Magistrate at that Court from January of 2003 to February of 2015 and Juvenile Court Administrator from 2008-15.  Prior to this, he served as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Delaware County.

He graduated as a Public Service Fellow from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 1999 where he also received the Joseph M. Harter Memorial Award for Trial Advocacy.  He received his B.S. in political science from Hiram College in 1996. He is currently chair of the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Advisory Committee on Interpreter Services and a member of the Supreme Court’s Commission on the Rule of Superintendence.  Judge Hejmanowski is a past chair of the Ohio State Bar Association Juvenile Justice Committee and served twice as chair of the Ohio State Bar Association’s Content Advisory Committee.  From 2008 to 2011 he served a three year term on the Ohio State Bar Association Board of Governors.  He is a member of the Ohio State Bar Foundation’s Board of Trustees and President of the Delaware County Bar Foundation.  He serves as co-chair of the Ohio Judicial Conference’s Publications Committee. He is a member of the Governor’s Council on Juvenile Justice.

An advocate for continuing legal education, Judge Hejmanowski is a member of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges’ Curriculum Committee, chair of the Delaware County Bar Association CLE committee, and chair of the Judicial College’s Juvenile Curriculum review committee. He is a frequent presenter for the Ohio Judicial College and the Ohio State Bar Association. He and his wife Ashley and their two children, Catherine and Nicholas, reside in Delaware.

George Kaitsa was appointed Delaware County Auditor in 2009 and was elected to a full term in the following year.  In 2014, he was re-elected without opposition to another full term as County Auditor.  During 2014, Mr. Kaitsa also served as president of the County Auditors’ Association of Ohio.  He received CAAO’s Distinguished Auditor Award in 2012.  Prior to his appointment as Delaware County Auditor, Mr. Kaitsa served in a number of state and county senior management positions.

Mr. Kaitsa was instrumental in assisting Delaware County to receive the coveted “AAA” credit rating from Moody’s.  He has been responsible for assisting the only two Ohio counties to lay claim to the “AAA” credit rating from Moody’s.  In 1990 as the Finance Director for Franklin County, Mr. Kaitsa assisted Franklin County in obtaining the “AAA” bond rating from Moody’s, the first “AAA” upgrade by Moody’s of an Ohio county since the 1940’s.

Mr. Kaitsa served as the first Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Development and was responsible for the financial oversight of the department.

As the Deputy Director of Administrative Services, Mr. Kaitsa was responsible for completing the $125 million renovation of the Ohio Statehouse as well as the construction of the first phase of the OSU Fisher College of Business and the construction of COSI.  His responsibilities also included the oversight of the state purchasing program and state funded construction projects.  Mr. Kaitsa also served as the COO for the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund.

Mr. Kaitsa served ten years as a member of Powell City Council and two terms as the vice president of Powell City Council.  He also served as the secretary and vice president of the Delaware County Port Authority.

As a former educator, Mr. Kaitsa served on the faculty of Central State University.  He also served as a lecturer in economics at The Ohio State University.

Mr. Kaitsa received a degree in economics from Kenyon College and an MBA from The Ohio State University.

I was first elected to office as Delaware County Clerk of Common Pleas Court in 2016 after working in the Clerk’s offices for over fourteen years.  Prior to my election as Clerk, my main responsibilities were supervising the staff and serving our customers at the Clerk of Courts Satellite Title Office in Lewis Center.  Since taking office, I have become an active member of the Ohio Clerk of Courts Association and currently serve as Chair of our Central Ohio District.  I have also volunteered for over 35 years in many capacities for my church and community organizations.  I was born and raised here in Delaware County.  I graduated from Delaware St. Mary School, Delaware Hayes High School and Ohio Wesleyan University.  I am proud to serve my hometown community as Clerk of Common Pleas Court.

Dr. Hickman assumed the duties of Delaware County Coroner in 2005, and was elected to a full 4 year term in 2008.   He is a member of the Ohio State Coroner’s Association.

Dr. Hickman graduated from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health, and he is Board Certified in Family Medicine.

Chris Bauserman has served as the County Engineer in Delaware County since February of 1996. Prior to this, he served as Chief Deputy Engineer for seven years. He worked previously as a project engineer in the construction and private consulting engineering industry.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Ohio Northern University. Chris is active in local transportation issues, serving as an officer of the County Engineers Association of Ohio and he recently completed his term as the President of the National Association of County Engineers.

In 2016, Chris was named the “Urban Engineer of the Year” by the National Association of County Engineers, an organization that represents nearly 2,000 county engineers, road managers and related professionals in the U.S. and Canada.

Prosecutor Melissa A. Schiffel is proud to serve the citizens of Delaware County.

Appointed to be your Delaware County Prosecutor in April 2019, Melissa brings more than a decade of prosecutorial and leadership experience to the position. She began her career as an assistant prosecutor in Wood County, Ohio where she specialized in the prosecution of felony theft and fraud cases. After that, Melissa joined the Fairfield County Prosecutor’s Office where she became the Chief Prosecutor of the Criminal Division, leaving only to join the ranks of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. During her time with the state, Melissa traveled to many Ohio counties, taking the lead on various felony cases involving crimes like public corruption, sexual abuse, and fraud.

By this time, Melissa was not only a prosecutor, but also a mom, so when an opening in the Delaware City Prosecutor’s Office became available in 2016, Melissa and her husband, Nate, jumped at the chance to call Delaware County home. Both having grown up in the central Ohio area, Melissa and Nate were excited to put down roots and move back, raising their daughter, Perri, closer to family.

As the city prosecutor, Melissa led an office with county-wide jurisdiction over thousands of misdemeanor and traffic offenses annually.

Like Melissa, Nate has chosen a life of service. A police officer for nearly 20 years, Nate currently serves in Newark, Ohio. With Nate’s support, Melissa’s dream of becoming the Delaware County Prosecuting Attorney became a reality. Melissa looks forward to serving the citizens of Delaware County for a very long time, and she and Nate feel fortunate to raise their daughter in a community they love.

Melissa graduated from Dublin Coffman High School. She went on to attend the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University and earned her Juris Doctorate degree from Ohio Northern University, College of Law. She, Nate, and Perri live in Berlin Township. They are actively involved in church, and enjoy visiting with family and participating in community events.

Melissa Jordan was appointed to the Delaware County Recorder position in January of 2011 to fill an unexpired 4-year term. Melissa then ran opposed and was elected to a four year term in November 2012.

Melissa hit the ground running after taking office.

She re-bid a software contract in her first few months in office and implemented a new software system that saves Delaware County taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars per contract cycle.

Melissa cuts her own budget year after year while adding new technology to the public search room and online, improving the user’s experience and access to public records.

Melissa improved the workflow system so it now makes images available sooner and document turn-around faster. Documents are now scanned and partially indexed almost immediately, indexed and verified from an image instead of a hard-copy, and returned via mail shortly thereafter. A process that used to take longer than a week now takes as little as two days.

Melissa created and implemented one of the first Veteran ID card programs in the state, providing veterans with an ID card after filing their DD-214 or military discharge papers within the office. This allows them to use the card out in the community to acquire various veteran benefits, but also encourages them to voluntarily file their discharges with the County Recorder for safekeeping. Melissa takes the Vet ID card program on the road every year by making these accessible to veterans at the county fair and other veteran events.

Melissa has made several positive changes to the Delaware County Recorder’s Office, and she is constantly looking for money-saving ways to improve efficiency from within.

Melissa holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Capital University Law School.

Melissa resides in Delaware with her three children and they attend LifePoint Church.

Jeffrey C. Balzer was named acting Sheriff on April 17, 2023, by the Delaware County Board of Commissioners, and then appointed by the Delaware County Republican Central Committee on May 11, 2023, to serve the remainder of the current term of office following the retirement of former Sheriff Russell Martin.

Sheriff Balzer has been a resident of Delaware County for 37 years and hails from the Springfield, OH area. Following graduation from Ohio University, he became a law enforcement officer first as a deputy sheriff in Champaign County before moving to the City of Delaware to join their police department. After several years, he was appointed as a Deputy United States Marshal and stationed in the Southern District of Ohio. During his career with the United States Marshals Service (USMS), Jeff successfully completed numerous missions involving court security, judicial protection, witness security, fugitive investigations, and terrorism investigations; while being promoted multiple times.

He retired early from the USMS to join Sheriff Russ Martin at the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office in 2016, where he was a Chief Deputy with numerous responsibilities including oversight of the jail.

Jeff has been a law enforcement officer for nearly four decades. He enjoys serving his community and is committed to providing top-notch law enforcement to the citizens of Delaware County.

Jeff and his wife Amy married in 1989 and their three children graduated from Buckeye Valley High School.

Donald E. “Don” Rankey Jr. is a life-long resident of Central Ohio. He grew up on the North Side of Columbus and graduated from Northland High School. He later earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Capital University. Don and his wife, Pam, moved to Delaware County in 1985 and they fell in love with the area. Don has vast business experience in both the real estate industry and as the founder and president/CEO of HomeLife Companies Inc., a successful, national senior living and healthcare management and consulting firm. He was previously the treasurer of the Delaware County Finance Authority and the chairman of the Delaware County Revolving Loan Fund. He also served on Delaware City Council and is considered by many to be the driving force and architect behind downtown Delaware’s revitalization. He and Pam have three adult sons – DJ, Morgan and Braydon.