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Zettler attacks on property appraisal

By Josh Sweigart | Saturday, September 6, 2008, 11:44 AM

Jack Zettler, candidate for Butler County auditor, released this press release this morning about incumbent Auditor Roger Reynolds’ recently completed property value re-appraisal:

HARD TO SEE CHANGE AT THE AUDITOR’S OFFICE

Home values going up; spending on perks continuing.

I, like most of you reading this article, was astounded to read that our recently appointed county auditor Roger Reynolds was going to raise the values of our homes by almost 6%. We all know the value of property in Butler County is on the decrease. According to the MLS data, the average price of real estate has dropped by an amount almost equal to the amount of Roger’s increase.

Surely our county auditor knows that values are decreasing. According to the auditor’s website Roger personally purchased a home for $447,500 in April 2008 which sold for $591,500 in 2007. That is a decrease of more than 20%. So why do the rest of us deserve an increase?

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Does Palin close the passion gap in southwest Ohio?

By Josh Sweigart | Saturday, September 6, 2008, 11:33 AM

Here is another article, this one from the Associate Press, asking whether conservative voters that John McCain is counting for in crucial southwest Ohio are enthused enough about him. It’s a good read. An excerpt:

Butler, Warren and Clermont counties were rock solid in 2004 for President Bush, voting for him by more than 2-to-1 and delivering a 130,000-plus margin in the swing state where Bush clinched re-election by fewer than 119,000 votes.

Some voters remain skeptical about McCain’s conservative credentials, and he faces what a political analyst calls “an enthusiasm gap.” Evangelical Christian political activists in the past have felt he hasn’t taken strong enough positions on issues such as gay marriage and abortion, and some were alarmed when he suggested he would consider a running mate supportive of abortion rights, even though he isn’t.

You will undoubtedly notice the article is a little out of date. Many GOPers argue that the choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for vice presidential nominee has closed that passion gap, especially considering her strong pro-life stance.

What do you think?

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Take this survey

By Josh Sweigart | Saturday, September 6, 2008, 07:30 AM

A regional planning effort is seeking your input on what should be the main priorities in developing Butler, Warren, Hamilton and Clermont counties as as a region.

Butler County residents are encouraged to take a survey available on the Citizens for Civic Renewal Web site, http://citizenscivicrenewal.org, to help prioritize regional planning efforts.

This follows a series of town hall meetings, where residents gave input on how communities in this area should work together.

The aim is to assemble a regional plan by the end of this year to coordinate state and federal funding requests, focusing on five areas: educational excellence, competitive economy, effective governance, livable communities and urban renaissance.

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Butler County GOP blasts Strickland appointments

By Josh Sweigart | Friday, September 5, 2008, 05:11 PM

Butler County Republican Party Chairman Tom Ellis just released this blistering press release about Gov. Ted Strickland’s appointment of two Democrats to fill two local judgeships:

Let the Voters Decide - Not Politics as Usual

(Hamilton, OH) The Butler County Republican Party concedes that no one should be too surprised that the Democratic governor chose Democrats to fill the two open judicial positions in Butler County, but “the process has now been tainted by politics,” says Butler GOP Chairman Tom Ellis.

Two judicial openings in Butler County occurred in the last few weeks when longtime Juvenile Judge David Niehaus passed away and Area Court Judge Robert Hendrickson resigned his position to run for Appeals Court. Both of these judges were endorsed by the Republican Party and elected by the voters of Butler County.

Democratic Governor Strickland promised to change the political selection process when he was elected in 2006. He has created a task force to vet and consider all interested and qualified judicial candidates. In the case of the local Butler County openings, both the two Democrat endorsed candidates and Republican endorsed candidates applied for the position. All were recommended by the Task Force, but the governor chose the Democrats in both cases. One of the Democrats, Glenda Smith, is the former Chair of the Butler County Democratic Party and active on the Governor’s campaign.

The governor could have allowed qualified interim judges to stay on the bench through the election and allowed the voters to make the decision without outside influence. “The governor has politicized the election process, but we are confident that the conservative voters of Butler County will see through this and elect our conservative team of Tim Evans for Juvenile Court and Dan Haughey for Area Court. Both are highly qualified and both will keep the same conservative, common sense approach of their two predecessors,” said Ellis.

Here in Butler County, our citizens are going to send the Governor a strong message in November; keep your liberal politics in Columbus, and let us select our own judges.”

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Governor fills two local judge seats

By Josh Sweigart | Friday, September 5, 2008, 01:19 PM

Press release from Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland:

Columbus, Ohio - Governor Ted Strickland today announced the appointment of Glenda Smith to the Butler County Municipal Court Area III and the appointment of Kathleen Romans to the Butler County Common Pleas Court, Juvenile Division.

“In her years as a public servant and attorney, Glenda has exemplified hard work, legal expertise, and commitment to her community; she also brings a diversity of experience to the bench that will make her an outstanding judge,” Strickland said.

Smith, 47, of Fairfield Township, fills a seat on the Butler County Municipal Court that was vacated due to the resignation of Judge Robert Hendrickson on August 15th.

Smith will begin September 6, 2008.

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MLS: Property values down

By Josh Sweigart | Friday, September 5, 2008, 10:42 AM

While property value assessments are going up 5.95 percent on average countywide, home sale prices dropped an average 5.4 percent countywide, according to the Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati.

More specifically, the value of the average home in Hamilton dropped 1.9 percent to $113,986 in Hamilton and went down a staggering 18.1 percent in Middletown to $83,716. The average home value did go up in West Chester Twp. 7.2 percent, leaving it at $257,913.

For a full breakdown, click on the thumbnail on the right to enlarge it.

So why the difference?

Several reasons. The MLS numbers, for example, take into account HUD homes, sheriff’s auctions and foreclosures, which bring down average values considerably.

But regardless of the “countywide average” County Auditor Roger Reynolds insists his appraisals are a conservative estimate of actual values. He said when he checked appraisals against homes for sale, the appraisals always came in below the asking price.

How has your home’s value fared in recent years?

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Only one person files write-in bid

By Josh Sweigart | Friday, September 5, 2008, 07:30 AM

Eric Wilson, of Cincinnati, is running for office this November, though his name won’t be on any ballots.

Wilson was the only locally to file a write-in candidacy by the Sept. 3 deadline. He is challenging U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, whose 1st Congressional District includes a small part of southwest Butler County.

Wilson appears to have run at least once for Cincinnati City Council, according to a quick Google search.

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