A Lima mayoral candidate says she is pleased with a judge's decision on questions of her residency.
Before the primary election, Alice Donahue and Bart Mills filed a civil lawsuit against Hardesty and the Allen County Board of Elections saying the board abused their power when they voted to uphold her residency, in turn allowing her to run for mayor.
Donahue and Mills contend that Hardesty was living in Texas until October of 2020. But Hardesty has always said that Lima was her home and just worked outside of Ohio.
Wednesday afternoon, visiting Judge James Brogan ruled in favor of Hardesty saying the complainants didn't prove she was not a resident according to the Lima City Charter. The judge’s ruling could be appealed to a higher court if the complainants wish to do so.
"I am very pleased with it," Hardesty said to Your Hometown Stations during a phone interview. "I think it's wonderful that the judge decided to uphold the BOE's decision they made in March, as it's the correct one. I think it's going to be full steam ahead and we are happy to move past all these distractions and lay out a plan to make Lima the place that we all want it to be."
It is currently unknown if an appeal will be filed in the case by Donahue and Mills and their attorney.
