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Michael D. Pitman reports about Butler County, Ohio, politics, county government, countywide issues and Butler County people just like you for Cox Ohio Publishing (including the Hamilton JournalNews, Middletown Journal and several weekly papers in Butler County). He wants your suggestions and questions for more news stories. Leave a comment for him here or e-mail Michael at Home > Blogs > Butler County News and Issues > Archives > 2011 > May > 17
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
State Senate hopeful charged with trespassing
UPDATE at 10 a.m. May 18: A not guilty plea was entered and a trial has been set for 2:30 p.m. on June 22 in Area II Court.
HAMILTON — One of the five Butler County residents seeking to replace Sen. Gary Cates, R-West Chester Twp., will be in court Wednesday morning answering to a criminal trespassing charge.
Michael Shawn McCabe, 32, of Fairfield Twp., is accused of being on the property at Fairfield North Elementary School, 6116 Morris Road, when he was told not to be there, according to a March 15 Fairfield Twp. police report.
The report states McCabe “had caused problems at the school on several earlier occasions and had received a written notice not to come back on the premises.”
McCabe said that is false.
“I’ve never had any incident at that school,” he said, adding he’s worked at the school’s festival for a number of years.
The hearing for the fourth-degree misdemeanor is scheduled at 8:40 a.m. Wednesday in Area II Court in Hamilton.
The state senate-hopeful is looking to garner a recommendation Wednesday evening from the Butler County Republican Party to be the next District 4 State Senator. The Ohio Senate Republican Caucus will make the actual appointment. Cates is resigning his position to take a job as senior vice chancellor with the Ohio Board of Regents. He starts on May 23.
McCabe said his ex-wife — the daughter of Fairfield Twp. Trustee Mark Sutton — “tried to enforce what was an (automatic restraining) order that came into play upon the divorce.” McCabe said his ex-wife, a first-grade teacher at Fairfield North, was “simply angry” he had moved on.
McCabe said he was dropping off his then-girlfriend’s child at the school when he was reported. According to the March 15 report, a teacher noticed McCabe leaving the school after escorting to the child to the office and reported him.
TweetSenate seat candidate: Michael Shawn McCabe
Michael Shawn McCabe believes it would be easier to seek the Fourth Senate District seat as an incumbent, which is why he wants to be appointed by the Senate Republican Caucus.
With his business background — he was a financial planner and has started McCabe Media — the Butler County Republican Central Committee member said he “saw an opportunity and I’m taking it.”
McCabe said he’d like to focus on educational funding and small businesses.
“I’m very focused on leveraging what 85 percent of what this economy is which is entrepreneurship and the small business owner,” McCabe said, “and trying to figure out a way to focus on those folks.”
If Derickson wins the appointment, McCabe said he’ll seek the 53rd House District seat — other than that, he’ll seek the senate seat. Both are up for election in 2012.
“My goal ultimately is to be in the legislature at the state level,” McCabe said.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Butler County, State Senate
TweetSenate seat candidate: Stuart Locke
Stuart Locke said his business-sense is why he thinks he can help Butler County as a state senator.
“There’s so many things that need to be done that aren’t being take care of,” said the owner of Towne Athletic Club in Middletown.
The three key areas Locke said are: jobs, education and the state budget.
The jobs lost over the past 15 years, he said, needs to be reversed.
The former the Butler County Educational Services Center board member said education funding reform needs to be addressed.
“The state of Ohio has been in a situation since 1996 where the education system is unconstitutional in the state and there hasn’t been a big solution yet of how to do that,” Locke said.
He also said the budget cannot be a deterrent for Ohio’s counties.
“I want to be able to help and set the course for the next 20 or 30 years for my grandkids,” Locke said.
Thoughts?
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Butler County, State Senate
TweetSenate seat candidate: Mark Haverkos
Mark Haverkos has invested himself in various school board, county commission, city council and township trustee meetings for the past five years “because I’m interested in the county and what’s happening with the people that live there.
The former candidate for the Lakota school and state school boards said he feels “the people are underserved.” He concedes the elected officials have done a good job on some things, “but I think more time needs to be spent on it.”
“I’d like to try to fix some of the things I see is wrong with the county,” he said. “ Even though the senate position is seen as a state representative, I think it’s also the senator’s job to pay attention to the business at hand in his county.”
The owner of Hotsite Data said he saw the financial issues the county and school boards are facing three to five years previously.
“There’s unfinished business to be had in the county,” he said.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment | Categories: Butler County, State Senate
TweetSenate seat candidate: Rep. Tim Derickson
The next step in Rep. Tim Derickson’s career is the Ohio Senate, said the two-term state representative.
Derickson, R-Hanover Twp., said his time in the state House, and nine years as a Hanover Twp. trustee, “has really prepared me to take the next step.” That’s the state senate, which represents three times as many people.
He plans to continue his agenda he started in the Ohio House.
“I would love to see and continue to work toward making (higher education) a little more affordable than it now is,” Derickson said. “I’d like to see the unemployment rate drop, see more jobs brought to Butler County.
“My interest is selfish is that I want to see Butler County be in better financial state by creating more jobs. That’s a high priority for me” he said.
But Derickson’s short-term sites are set on tonight.
“I think earning the respect and the vote of the party is what I desire more than anything,” he said.
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TweetSenate seat candidate: Rep. Bill Coley
Rep. Bill Coley, R-Liberty Twp., compared being in the state legislature on a team.
“The legislature is very much a team sport, and I just love working with it — working with people on both sides of the aisle,” he said.
Coley said he can accomplish many things he’s set in motion in the House by staying on Capitol Square.
“I would like the opportunity to keep working on what I’ve been working on,” he said, “which is to reform state and local government, to drive down the cost of government and thus enabling us to lower tax rates and do things more efficiently around the state.”
Though he’s been told, Coley doesn’t see himself as the “front-runner” for the appointment. He’s flattered his “experience and reputation for hard work has put me in the position … but I don’t view that as the case at all,” he said. “This is a wide open process.”
Thoughts?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Butler County, Republican Party, State House of Representatives, State Senate
TweetSenate candidate profiles
Later tonight, I will be posting five short senate candidate profiles on each person seeking the soon-to-be-vacated seat of Sen. Gary Cates, R-West Chester Twp.
In a civil manner, let me know what you think about each candidate.
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