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Home > Blogs > Butler County News and Issues > Archives > 2009 > December > 21
Monday, December 21, 2009
Carpenter v. Nix - The ruling
The Ohio Elections Commission has decided against hearing a complaint filed against Butler County’s treasurer by the county clerk of courts, calling it an unusual case.
After talking to both parties, the Elections Commission ruled Dec. 16 that the complaint fell outside their jurisdiction. The alleged “false statements” were made in the Butler County Republican Party endorsement process, they said, not during an actual election for office.
Here is a copy of the Elections Commission’s ruling:
(Click on the top right corner to enlarge)
Analysis:
“This is the first time we’ve had anything like that occur,” said Elections Commission Executive Director Philip Richter.
Clerk of Courts Cindy Carpenter filed the complaint last month against Treasurer Nancy Nix. Carpenter alleged Nix made misleading statements about her campaign funds and qualifications for county commission in literature and speeches courting support of the county GOP.
Neither woman — nor incumbent Commissioner Gregory Jolivette or anyone else — won the party’s endorsement, setting the stage for a bitter May 2010 primary.
Nix stands by her statements.
“My record is one of being up front and truthful, and unfortunately, this isn’t always well received,” she said. “I continue to believe this was much ado about nothing and am glad the Elections Commission could see it for what it was, and that it has been put to rest.”
Carpenter argued that the case is indeed unique, because of the unique nature of Butler County politics. Whomever wins the party’s endorsement is more likely to win the primary, thus the general election in this GOP-controlled county, she said.
“We apparently have a virtual free-fo-all period of time early in the election campaign process in Ohio in which false materials can be freely disseminated and published, regardless of whether it’s reckless, misleading or false,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter said she’ll be asking the local party to adopt is own guidelines about what type of statements can be made in the endorsement process.
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County approves care facility union contract
Butler County commissioners approved a contract today, Dec. 21, with the union representing employees at the county care facility.
The two-year contract with The United Steelworkers, AFL-CIO includes no pay raises in 2010 and 2011 unless non-union employees get one. The union represents roughly 92 employees at the nursing home, including nurses aids, housekeepers and nutritional therapists.
The contract does increase the rate at which union workers accrue vacation time, though county officials said it only makes it on par with other employees.
“(Union representatives) were understanding at the bargaining table the tough decisions that have to be made,” said care facility Manager Chuck Demidovich, who explained that Medicaid has froze the rates paid to nursing homes for years.
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Butler County’s $85.3 M budget - An overview
“It’s been one heck of a year, 2009,” Butler County Commissioner Gregory Jolivette mused after commissioners approved a much-wrangled-over 2010 general fund budget Monday, Dec. 21.
The budget totals $85.3 million — down from $94.7 million in 2008 largely because of recession — and includes $2.6 million in cuts and a $900,000 dip into the county’s shrinking cash reserves.
Here is an overview of the 2010 budget in a presentation given to commissioners today by Office of Management and Budget Director Pete Landrum (Option 2.5 referenced in the presentation is the budget solution the county picked):
(Click on the top right corner to enlarge)
Analysis:
Commissioners heaped credit on county staff and other officeholders who came to the table with concessions, especially Sheriff Richard K. Jones. Jones, whose $23 million budget is the county’s largest, proposed $1 million in 11th hour cuts and promised $600,000 in prisoner-boarding revenue to close the gap.
This followed a period of uncertainty with Jones, local judges, the county prosecutor and others saying further budget cuts would endanger public safety. County officials say criminal justice accounts for 63.5 percent of the total budget.
“In the spirit of cooperation when everybody is pulling together and working toward the same goals, it makes it easier,” said Commission President Donald Dixon.
Management and Budget Director Pete Landrum said the budget makes assumptions: especially that 2009 will the rock bottom for the recession.
Of the options Landrum submitted to commissioners to shore up the budget, the one they picked was the “most optimistic” option, Landrum said, including $640,000 more in sales and property transfer taxes than earlier estimates.
But, he said, it still falls roughly $500,000 below 2009 ending levels.
“Further budget reductions will be required…by mid-year if the events do not occur as projected or alotted,” Landrum said in his presentation.
“Hopefully, 2010 will be a lot better than 2009,” said Jolivette.
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