Butler and Warren county elected officials scored near-perfect attendance records over the past two years, with a majority making about 90 percent of their official meetings.

The Hamilton JournalNews/Middletown Journal reviewed hundreds of pages of meeting agendas and minutes from 29 Butler and Warren county entities to find out which city council, school board, county commission and township trustee board members had the best and worst attendance records. For the most part, records showed that — since some elected officials are paid by the meeting — taxpayers are getting their money’s worth based on attendance.

There were two city council members and one township trustee that missed more than a dozen meetings in the span of our investigation. Hamilton City Councilman Archie Johnson had the worst attendance rate, missing 21 of 61 council and special meetings and work sessions held since Jan 1, 2011.

In Warren County, Carlisle Councilman Bryan Green missed 13 of 45 village meetings, Deerfield Twp. Trustee Chris Romano missed 13 of 58 township meetings and Lebanon City Councilwoman Charlene Mehaffi Flick missed 14 of 75 meetings.

Elected officials can be asked to attend dozens of work sessions and regular, special, committee and community meetings during the course of a year. Having full attendance at these meetings — or as close to it as possible — is critical, most elected officials agree. If officials miss too many meetings, nothing gets done. And when deciding on budgets, economic development strategies or controversial issues, every vote counts.

Middletown Mayor Larry Mulligan Jr. said that it becomes a real hindrance when council has to backtrack in order to bring an absent council member “up to speed” on issues.

“It’s important that we have active participation and make sure everyone’s thoughts are expressed on issues,” Mulligan said.

Several area elected officials had perfect attendance, but Butler County Commissioner Charles “Chuck” Furmon’s streak of 123 consecutive meetings without an absence was one of the best. Furmon, who is leaving county commission at the end of the year, missed his first meeting in two years two weeks ago.

“Well I think you have a responsibility to voters,” Furmon said, noting it has to be a pretty serious issue for him to miss a meeting. “But attending meetings is something that I have always enjoyed.”

Records and interviews revealed that area elected officials miss meetings for all kinds of reasons, ranging from work and personal obligations to illness, vacations and deaths in the family. Butler County Commissioner Don Dixon missed a meeting earlier this year after his dog died.

Elected officials can be asked to attend dozens of work sessions and regular, special, committee and community meetings during the course of a year. Having full attendance at these meetings — or as close to it as possible — is critical, most elected officials agree.

If officials miss too many meetings, nothing gets done. And when deciding on budgets, economic development strategies or controversial issues, every vote counts.

Most local governments and school districts have attendance policies for elected officials, though they vary widely.

For example, Middletown’s city charter states that a council member who misses more than five meetings in a calendar year can have 4 percent deducted from their $5,000 annual salary, and five consecutive misses could result in their council seat being vacated. In Trenton, four unexecused absences by a council member and his or her seat is automatically vacated.

Meanwhile, Butler and Warren county commissioners are required by law to meet 50 times per year and they only have to set foot in their offices once every 90 days. In Butler County, they don’t formally track commissioners’ attendance.

Board members routinely will vote to excuse or not excuse a colleague’s absence from a meeting depending on the reason. But in most instances, the boards themselves are powerless to act against a chronically absent member. That’s something voters have to deal with at the ballot box, elected officials agree.

But frustration over Archie Johnson’s 66 percent attendance rate led Hamilton City Councilwoman Kathleen Klink to take a verbal swipe at him during a recent council meeting.

“It seems to me that the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, everyone needs to be here…and Mr. Johnson is almost always not here,” Klink said.

Klink, who has missed three meetings in two years and has a 95 percent attendance record, said when you run for office, you understand the role and responsibility of that office.

“When you have challenging times such as the budget, our vision and strategic plan, you need to hear the other comments and passion of the other members and be tuned into the job at hand,” she said. “There will always be something that will pop up, but that’s life. But I hope it isn’t the routine.”

Johnson said being a council member requires full-time public interaction even though it’s a part-time job. Johnson, who works in Cincinnati, attributed his absences to his job and church obligations.

“I guess some council members have a little more flexibility that I do. I guess that’s why they’re able to do what they can do,” Johnson said, adding all council members should respect each other’s time and obligations.

Dixon, of Butler County Commission, joked that more absences by past commissioners might’ve actually benefited taxpayers.

“They couldn’t have borrowed so much money,” Dixon said.

A check of attendance records in Butler and Warren county communities and school districts since Jan. 1, 2011 showed:

• In Butler County, Furmon missed only one of 124 commission meetings. Commissioner Cindy Carpenter missed six and Dixon 12.
• Warren County commissioners met 131 times with Commissioner David Young missing the most with 10 absences. Commissioners Pat South and Tom Ariss missed five and four meetings, respectively.
• Middletown City Council met 53 times. Councilman Josh Laubach missed the most meeting with eight, followed by Councilman A.J. Smith with four absences. Councilwoman Anita Scott Jones and Mayor Larry Mulligan have each missed three meetings, and Councilman Dan Picard has missed two. Council members Ann Mort and Joe Mulligan have perfect attendance.
• Out of 44 meetings, Fairfield City Councilman Tim Abbott missed eight special meetings. Councilman Timothy Meyers has the next highest missing six.
• Trenton’s council was in session 43 times with each of its members missing two meetings each.
• Lebanon City Council met 75 times with Flick missing 14 meetings, eight of them due to back surgery, city records showed. Other council members missed five or fewer meetings.
• Franklin’s council has met 42 times with Councilman Denny Centers missing nine meetings. All other council members missed five meetings or less.
• Carlisle Village Council met 45 times Green missing 13 meetings, or nearly a third of them. Councilman Scott Boschert missed 10 meetings.
• West Chester Twp. trustees met 48 times ,with Trustee George Lang missing three meetings and Trustees Catherine Stoker and Lee Wong missing two.
• Liberty Twp. Trustee Patrick Hiltman missed five of the trustees board’s 43 meetings, while Trustee David Kern and Christine Matacic have missed three meetings and one meeting, respectively.
• Madison’s school board met 37 times and only board member Marva Sampson had perfect attendance. Other board members missed three meetings or less
• Fairfield’s school board has met 44 times and members there have missed five meetings or less. Missing the most meetings with five was Batena Shorter.
• In the Monroe school district, that board has held 61 meetings and board members there have missed four or less meetings.Only Leslie Stone has recorded perfect attendance during the past two years.
• Lebanon school board members met 25 times with Donna Norris and Laura Doughman recording perfect attendance. Ryan Patterson missed three meetings, which was the most.
• Carlisle school board members met 32 times with one member attending every meeting and the other four missing one meeting.
• In Middletown City Schools, board members Chris Fiora and the Rev. Greg Tyus each attended 52 out of 53 meetings. Katie McNeil attended 50 meetings and Marcia Andrew attended 49.
• Of the 35 meetings of the Ross school board, three members missed one meeting and two members missed two meetings.
• Franklin’s school board met 43 times and members there have missed no more than two meetings.
• The Edgewood school board met 29 times with David Osborne recording perfect attendance. Two others Jim Wirtley and Jim Miller missed one meeting each during the review period and all absences were excused.
• Lakota’s school board met more than any other local district with 80 meetings. Board member Joan Powell missed three, while three other board members missed two or less.

Staff Writers Lauren Pack, Hannah Poturalski, Skip Weaver, John Bombatch, Justin McClelland, Michael Pitman, Eric Robinette and Richard O Jones contributed to this report.