Aurora resident Meg Hudson defeated Shalersville trustee Larry Solak for the Republican Nomination for Portage County Commissioner.

Hudson had 3,990 votes compared to Solak’s votes 3,290.

In remarks after the elections Hudson gave credit to her supporters for her victory.

“It took a lot of persistence and a lot of hard work,” she said. “I’ve had a great support base from the members of my election committee to the people at my job at Howard Hanna Realtors.”

Solak was unavailable for comment because of the late reported election results.

Hudson is running on a platform of increasing fiscal soundness, creating economic development and preserving the county’s green spaces.

“We’ve seen a lot of growth in the last few years,” she said. “I would like to see more growth, but I would also like to see us preserve a lot of farmland. It’s important to preserve parks and green spaces.”

“Portage County needs to better maintain the buildings we currently have,” she said. “We also need to make sure we maintain the new buildings, so they don’t begin to look like the old buildings.

Hudson, said if she is elected she will quit her job as a Realtor.

“I plan on making a full-time commitment to Portage County,” she said. “I want to give back to Portage County what Portage County has given to me.”

Hudson is a member of the director’s board of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Aurora Tree Commission.

Solak ran on a platform of lowering taxes and making Portage County more fiscally responsible.

If elected, Solak said he planned on encouraging departments to pare off a lot of spending and expenses.

Solak ran for commissioner in 2004, but lost to Democrat Maureen Frederick.

Hudson, who didn’t find out about her election victory until nearly midnight, didn’t have any immediate plans to celebrate.

“I’m just going to go home and go to bed,” she said. “I have to get up and go to work in the morning.”

Contact public affairs reporter Amanda Garrett at [email protected].