I’m not exactly sure what is happening in the Hancock County Republican Party, even though I sit on the Hancock County Central Committee as an elected person. It seems to me that there is a rift between the “Old Guard” that controlled the city’s politics, city’s business, the city’s dealings and the “New Guard” made of Grassroots people just wanting to be the change they wanted to see in their community.
Let me back track just a bit to inform you first that Mayor Christina Muryn was groomed for the position of mayor long ago. I won’t go into the details of her grooming simply because you can find the information on her resume. Let me just add that Lydia Mahalik moving up the political latter in her third year causing the Hancock County Central Committee to elect Chrissy was strategic. It was no mistake, it was by design.
Fast Forward to today (without the details of the years that have followed, which I am involved in) the Hancock County Republican Central Committee (the Hancock County Republican Party) looks much different than it did even two years ago – thank GOD! New leadership and new vision. All that to say that it seems some “Republicans”, not in the party, have taken it upon themselves to run an entirely different campaign. One that calls true conservatives that attend City Council meetings regularly due to our concern for our community, “extremists”. Is there a divide between truly ‘Conservative Republicans’ and perhaps ‘Moderate Republicans’? Maybe so.
A little personal back history: I’ve never been a political person. Even to this day I can say I hate politics, even though I’ve kept up on them since graduating from High School. Though I’ve never been a one issue girl in my voting, I’ve always researched people running for office and where they stand. Sadly, there was a time I did not do my homework. That would be when I THOUGHT I knew Chrissy, Mayor Christina Muryn, and trusted she would be a strong leader in running as Mayor of the City of Findlay. Not only did we attend church together for over 20+ years, but we also had likeminded friends and I gave her my full support in her endeavors representing We The People. It wasn’t until covid that I started looking into her education and affiliations while she was making commercials for the experimental vaccination that I started taking a deep dive. I had friends that worked in Municipal building that would call her a mask Nazi that really troubled me. So, I started asking questions and looking into her affiliations. WOW! As a Medical Freedom advocate because I was a homebirth momma with non-vaccinated children, I didn’t realize that she was a globalist. Because of her actions through the covid ordeal, I had decided to run for mayor because I understood what she stood for and no longer just supported her for being my friend. Due to all the complaints I had heard regarding her leadership, I was surprised to know that I was the ONLY candidate running against her for Mayor of the City of Findlay. NO Republicans, NO Democrats, NO liberals. Why would the one person that believed she would be our “Ester”, a friend that sat in the same pugh at church, be her only opponent? That was crazy to me.
During the 2025 State of the City “Fireside Chat” with Chris Oaks, Mayor Muryn made a statement that I will butcher and paraphrase: “As a mayor, you’re governing the entire city and there’s no room for right or left, you have to govern everyone equally”. It actually made sense. HOWEVER, when you give up your parties values that are against Illegal Immigration, against Communism, FOR the Right to Bear Arms and Freedom of Speech, there’s no grey lines. The Republican Party lines are pretty clear and absolutely constitutional. Perhaps she may want to revisit that class if it wasn’t taught while she was getting her Economics Degree at the University of Findlay. A degree she parades around at City Council while she is in her 3rd year of deficits pending pushing a $40 MILLION legacy park on the taxpayer back with grants while our government is $36 TRILLION in debt. Can anyone help her understand? The training at the University seems to have skewed the reality of money. BUT . . . I digress.
The issue here is the REAL Republican platform, which the mayor does not adhere to, as opposed to those that run as “Republicans”, that support this leftist agenda. I have to tell you, I’m ELECTED to the Hancock Republican Central Committee, whether they like it or not, yet our party does nothing to oppose the mayors refusal or acknowledgment of not following our platform or agenda. Actually, there are OTHER “Republicans”, not elected to Central Committee, that call us who WERE elected and truly stand by the Conservative Republican platform “Extremists”. SHOCKING!
Is the Hancock County Republican party really divided? It appears so. The “Mayors Candidates” vs. true Grassroots citizens that care for their community. The current Council members refer to us as “The Regulars”. Those of us that care enough about our community to engage with City Council, the city’s business, how they steward the tax payer properties, spend our tax payer dollars that DARE to hold them accountable. WE are the “extremists”. Where is the voice of the Hancock County GOP in this matter? Well, I’m sure they are busy planning the next fundraising event to weigh in on this division. Just my observation.
A party divided indeed.
Haydee Sadler, Concerned Citizen Journalist for the City of Findlay.