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Home > Blogs > Butler County News and Issues > Archives > 2008 > October > 16
Thursday, October 16, 2008
ACORN stays out of Butler County
Amid the local and national hubbub of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) allegedly registering unqualified voters, Butler County elections officials say the advocacy group was not active here.
One of the steps outlined in that story is not going ahead though. That step includes taking a cross-check of all new voter registrations against the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles and Social Security Administration (which the state does) and communicating it to local boards of election (which the state does not do).
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner announced today she is appealing a ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court that would force her to communicate suspicious registrations to local boards of election.
The suit that she lost was brought by the Ohio Republican party.
Who do you think is right? Brunner or the GOP?
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Reynolds, Jolivette: Zettler takes auditor’s race ‘to a new low’
Press release from the Butler County auditor’s office:
The stock market has been hit hard in recent months, but the truth is taking the worst beating of the year in Butler County. Democrat candidate Jack Zettler’s recent press release and county-wide mailer is so full of misstatements that it is possible that they don’t even contain any truths at all, other than Zettler’s name and the office for which he is running.
“It is unfortunate that, in a year of ugly campaigning, Jack Zettler may have set the record for a new low,” said Butler County Commissioner Greg Jolivette, who was included in Zettler’s attack on County Auditor Roger Reynolds. “I know Jack, and was his classmate in school. I know and very much like his family. This can’t be their proudest moment. Jack Zettler must be desperate to win office, but that’s no excuse.”
Democrat candidate Jack Zettler recently attacked Reynolds for “lowering his (Reynolds’) tax valuation”. The fact is that Reynolds owns three properties, which have risen by a total of $123,000, nearly a 15% increase. Also, Zettler tries to focus on Reynolds’ residence and claims that Reynolds realized that Zettler was on to him and then changed the property valuation to an increase in September. The fact is that Reynolds’ residential property, just like over 1,200 others in Liberty Township, was part of a “residential incentive district” that the independent reappraisal firm, CLT, was in the process of performing an updated appraisal maintenance. CLT had failed to consider market approach valuations on the RID properties, which is required, during its original reappraisal.
“Zettler wants to focus on one of three properties, and ignore the others to paint a false picture to the public,” said Reynolds. “The fact is my own total valuation increased a significant amount. Zettler is engaging in despicable politics. He also misleads the public about my own residential property valuation process. Zettler’s entire attack was a fabrication.”
Zettler went on to infer that Reynolds gives “sweet deals” to fellow Republicans on reappraisals. In reality, a solid majority of county Republican officeholders’ values increased. “The appraisal process has been ongoing for almost three years and was virtually complete when I took office this past April,” stated Reynolds. “I have never influenced even one property’s valuation. There are no ‘deals’. Zettler’s claim is without merit and crosses into libel. I have consulted with attorneys and have been assured that Zettler has crossed a legal line. That will be dealt with after this election.”
Zettler tried to use as “proof” the reappraisal of Butler County Commissioner Greg Jolivette’s residential property. According to Zettler, Jolivette received a favorable reappraisal while two neighboring properties went up in valuation. What Zettler doesn’t include is the fact that 27 of 37 properties in Jolivette’s neighborhood went down in valuation, several by more of a percentage than Jolivette’s. Zettler also fails to mention that the two homes he used in his attack do not compare to Jolivette’s in size or characteristics, which is critical to how CLT or any independent firm assesses values on property. Finally, Zettler fails to mention that Jolivette owns Jolly’s, a Hamilton restaurant, and that Jolly’s valuation went up much more than Jolivette’s personal property went down. There was obviously no “deal”.
“There is no ground for Zettler’s reckless comments. It is a total disregard for the truth,” Jolivette stated. “Zettler’s false claims are an attack on my character. People who know me, and there are many people in this county that know me, know that I would never engage in such tactics. Zettler’s attacks are so dirty and inaccurate that I challenge Jack to prove his claim now or publicly apologize and then clean up his act. I will not be used for a mudslinging campaign without some type of accountability. Jack has decided to drag my good name into the dirt in a feeble attempt to win this campaign, and it is a sadly unethical move.”
Reynolds believes his hard work to turn around a scandalized office has made Zettler bitter. “I have one thing in common with Jack; we both lost campaigns to the previous auditor. That auditor has been indicted and resigned her office, and since then I was appointed to the vacant position by the Republican Party and have achieved success in changing the tone of the Auditor’s Office. We have fought the state bureaucracy to keep property valuations as low as possible. I have promised to hold my own reappraisal next year to lower valuations for all citizens. We have put all office expenditures on-line for full disclosure, and we have cut costs and returned over a quarter of a million dollars to the community. All this was done in less than five months time. I think Jack Zettler is bitter at our success in turning things around. He has no real claims or positive vision of his own, so he makes false attacks and hides the truth. I believe Butler County is tired of these worn out, gutter politics and they want what we are offering; a fresh new start and an office that fights for the people of this county and doesn’t play dirty politics. That is the problem with Jack Zettler. There is that old cliché, ‘you don’t know jack’. Well, people are getting to know Jack Zettler well, and they don’t like what they are seeing. We now know Jack, and we know he can’t seem to tell the truth.”
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Zettler’s property values went down too
A review of the recently completed taxable property value re-appraisal confirms Democratic candidate for county auditor Jack Zettler’s claim that incumbent Auditor Roger Reynolds lowered his property value.
The auditor’s office Web site shows a value increase. But the new value, $535,200, is actually $1,280 lower than the old value which is now incorrect on the site. Reynolds has an explanation for this — it’s complicated and we’ll get into it later this week — and said he had no involvement in the appraisal of his property. He also points out he bought his house for $447,500 earlier this year.
Zettler says this is all a shell game to hide his attempt to lower his values further.
What Zettler doesn’t mention is that five of his 10 properties also went down in value, according to the auditor’s office Web site. Here are the parcels and their new and old appraised values:
N. E. Street, Hamilton:
- 2008 $1,380
- 2007 $1,860
702 N. E Street, Hamilton
- 2008 $83,370
- 2007 $86,220
544 Ross Avenue, Hamilton
- 2008 $67,080
- 2007 $70,970
Smith Road, Hamilton
- 2008 $520
- 2007 $860
625 Fairview Avenue
- 2008 $76,370
- 2007 $81,000
Zettler isn’t alone. The only local elected Democrat, Hamilton Municipal Judge Daniel Gattermeyer, also saw a property value drop:
- 2008 $293,830
- 2007 $296,230
And John Holcomb, the only Democrat on the Butler County Board of Elections and former party chairman:
725 Elmwood Road, Hamilton
- 2008 $175,750
- 2007 $199,160
Meanwhile, the largest single increase in values went to Ed and Judy Shelton. Judy Shelton sits on the Board of Elections as a Republican and is the party’s central committee chairwoman:
625 Devanshae Court
- 2008 $900,360
- 2007 $467,050
To round things out, Tom Ellis, chairman of the Butler County Republican party and the final member of the Board of Elections:
1717 N Breiel Boulevard, Middletown
- 2008 $212,820
- 2007 $218,000
Pick up the paper this weekend for a full analysis of Zettler’s claim.
What are your thoughts?
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