Republican Julie McNabb held an early lead over Democrat Cheryl Minichiello in the race for Medina County commissioner, with unofficial returns showing McNabb ahead 54.45 percent to 45.55 percent after just 35 of the county's 124 precincts had reported. The seat is open because Republican Colleen Swedyk, who has served as a Medina County commissioner for eight years, is leaving office, and whoever wins will take over a four-year term starting Jan. 1, 2027.
According to Cleveland.com, McNabb had collected 27,245 votes to Minichiello's 22,792 in the partial count reported by the Medina County Board of Elections. The figures are unofficial and reflect only a fraction of the county's precincts, so the eventual outcome was not yet settled. If McNabb's lead holds, the win would keep all three seats on the Medina County Board of Commissioners in Republican hands, alongside continuing commissioners Stephen Hambley and Aaron Harrison.
Two Very Different Pitches to Voters
McNabb, a lifelong Medina County resident, currently serves as a Westfield Center councilwoman and co-owns the JK Gift Shop and an interior design studio in Medina. She has served on the city's economic development committee since 2013 and was president of the Greater Medina Chamber of Commerce board in 2025. Her campaign centered on fiscal responsibility, economic development and building stronger partnerships with cities, townships and nonprofit organizations, per the same Cleveland.com report.
She also pointed to affordable housing for older residents as a priority, arguing it could free up existing homes for younger families, and said she wanted to work with state lawmakers on property tax relief while looking at ways to reduce county fees. The Medina Gazette independently confirmed the matchup, noting that Republican Julie McNabb and Democrat Cheryl Minichiello are running for the role of Medina County commissioner in the upcoming November election.
Minichiello, a chemical engineer with project management, education and small-business experience, ran on a different set of priorities. She emphasized government transparency, closer scrutiny of county finances, and addressing aging infrastructure, including water systems. She also stressed bringing technical expertise to county government and said she wanted to work across party lines, the article notes.
A Budget Fight Looms Over the Race
Minichiello's emphasis on financial oversight tracked with a monthslong dispute between the sitting commissioners and County Auditor Anthony Capretta's office over spending and contracts. In April, Commissioner Aaron Harrison said spending from the auditor's office general fund and real estate appraisal funds had jumped 80 percent from 2022 to 2025, according to a separate Cleveland.com report. Harrison put it bluntly: “expenses have increased a staggering 80%.” The figures commissioners cited showed spending rising from about $1.88 million in 2022 to roughly $3.49 million in 2025.
The dispute escalated in May, when commissioners voted to cut $53,159 from Capretta's budget. A finance director said the reduction matched the salary of a longtime accountant who had been fired, after commissioners also opted not to fill four intern positions, per a Cleveland.com account of the vote. That same report detailed how consultant Dennis DeCamillo had received more than $200,000 in fees from the county since 2023, prompting commissioners to stop approving further payments tied to his work. A state audit cited in that reporting found the auditor's office had improperly paid out more than $15,000 in benefits in 2024 to people no longer employed by the county.
That backdrop shaped how each candidate framed the stakes of the commissioner's seat heading into the vote on Nov. 3. The Medina County Board of Commissioners oversees county budgets, government services, infrastructure and a range of other administrative responsibilities, making the outcome of the race consequential for how the ongoing dispute with the auditor's office plays out in the years ahead.
