Here’s what else is on the ballot besides president

While the race for president gets most of the attention, there are hundreds of candidates and local issues on the ballot across the region.

Today’s election will decide not only the future of the country, but also impact the state, our counties, school districts and cities.

Here’s a look at some of the other races and issues to watch tonight besides the race for president.

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The man who replaced former House Speaker John Boehner will face his third election on Tuesday while being challenged by a former congressional aide who joined the race in July as a replacement candidate.

U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, a Republican businessman and former Army Ranger, won election in June to fill Boehner’s unexpired congressional term. He’s being challenged by Steven Fought, a Democrat from Clark County who was the congressional aide to U.S. Rep. Mary Kaptur, D-Toledo.

The winner in this 8th Congressional District will represent the six-county district of 723,000 residents.

OHIO HOUSE

Two of Butler County’s Ohio House seats are contested this election cycle, and the winners will serve 2017 thorough the end of 2018. The Ohio Senate seat contested this election cycle will serve 2017 through the end of 2020.

51st Ohio House

Ohio Rep. Wes Retherford, R-Hamilton, is being challenged by Fairfield resident Johnny Hamilton to represent the 51st Ohio House District.

Retherford, 32, is seeking to win a third two-year term while Hamilton, 65, who had an unsuccessful bid for a Fairfield City Council seat last year, is seeking his first political office.

The district covers most of the central part of Butler County, including the Fairfield, Hamilton and Ross Twp.

53rd Ohio House

The 53rd Ohio House District race is one "worth watching on Election Night," according to a local political expert, because there is no incumbent in this race.

Monroe Vice Mayor Suzi Rubin is the candidate from the Democratic Party in a heavily Republican district. This will be Rubin’s fourth Statehouse bid.

Republican candidate Candice Keller decisively won a contested Republican primary in March but was not the party’s endorsed candidate. Keller is the executive director of the Community Pregnancy Center in Middletown.

The district covers part of Middletown and the northern and western portions of Butler County.

4th Ohio Senate

Ohio Sen. Bill Coley, R-Liberty Twp., is seeking his second four-year senate term and is being challenged by Democrat and Oxford Twp. Trustee John Kinne.

Coley is a Statehouse veteran, first being appointed to the seat in 2011 and subsequently elected in 2012. Kinne is a resident of the Oxford Twp. and is in the middle of serving his second term on the board of trustees.

The 4th Ohio Senate District incorporates most of Butler County.

BUTLER COUNTY SHERIFF

Long-time Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones is being challenged by Dale Richter, a retired police officer.

Jones was first elected Butler County Sheriff’s Office in 2004. This is the fourth time Richter is facing Jones on the ballot.

The sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer in the county and in 2017 will be compensated, by state law, $92,797 annually.

FAIRFIELD FIRE LEVY

Voters for the first time in 15 years are being asked to approve a fire/EMS levy that will provide the city's fire department with nearly $2.38 million a year. Approval means the city won't have to dip into its general fund coffers, which it has done annually for the past few years.

This new tax on property owners would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $87.50 annually.

The levy would primarily benefit the department’s emergency medical services, officials said, adding that 86 percent of its emergency runs are medical-related.

HANOVER TWP. LEVIES

Hanover Twp. is asking voters to approve two levies. The first is a 1.75-mill replacement and a 1.75-mill additional fire and EMS levy. This levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home a total of $122.50 a year. The second is for 1.75 mills and would pay for current township expenses. The owner of a $100,000 home would add $61.25 to property tax bills.

Township officials say there are a number of reasons for the two levies, most of which involved some form decrease in revenues. Officials say property values have decreased by more than $24 million, which has a net effect of a revenue loss of more than $150,000 per year and the township is still feeling the effects of the 2011 state local government fund cuts.

MONROE LOCAL SCHOOLS LEVY

Residents in the Monroe Local Schools District are in for a rare electoral opportunity: Voting "yes" on a new school tax issue will lower their annual tax bill.

School officials have put a substitute operating levy on the Nov. 8 ballot. If it passes, the current 8.2-mill emergency, five-year levy approved in 2012 will drop to 7.2 mills. The move would lower the annual tax bill for the owner of a $100,000 home by $31 a year. They currently pay $251 and it would be reduced to $220 a year.

The proposed substitute operating levy will generate $2.2 million for the district.

OTHER FIRE/EMS LEVIES

Ross Twp.: The township is seeking to renew its 3-mill fire levy. The owner of a $100,000 home would pay $85.01 a year, which is the same amount property owners currently pay.

Milford Twp.: The township is seeking a renewal of its 2-mill fire and EMS levy. The owner of a $100,000 home would pay $59.27 annually, which is the same amount property owners currently pay.

New Miami: The village is seeking a renewal of its 2-mill fire levy. The owner of a $100,000 home would pay $61.25 a year, which is the same amount property owners currently pay.

SENIOR SERVICES LEVY

Franklin Twp. voters will decide if it should renew a five-year, 0.25-mill senior services levy.

The levy that was originally approved in 2007, and then renewed in 2011, generates about $123,000 a year for senior services in the township. Township officials said the levy costs about $8.50 annually for the owner of a home valued at $100,000.

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