‘The most logical and fair thing to do’

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1:55 PM Friday, December 18, 2009

Having looked at some of the e-mails, media reporting and other information relative to the recent (Hamilton City) Council election, I thought that I might add another view on the Ann Rowe debate.

The voters of Hamilton made their choice of the candidates who ran for council. I congratulate them on their election. Folks who have never held elected office do not realize the work and effort that goes into a campaign.

As a former mayor of Springdale, Ohio, and having served on committees for Hamilton County, OKI and the state of Ohio, and as a current Butler County businessman, I have seen how small, seemingly insignificant items become major issues during and after an election.

I have known Ann Rowe for many years. I have found her to be a dedicated, hard-working individual. She is very well known and respected in the real estate community and has always said that Hamilton is a great place to live and work, even when others were knocking the city. I know of no one who has a higher set of political ethics and values and a genuine love for the city of Hamilton. I recall she served the citizens of Hamilton very well while on council in the ’90s.

Most communities would automatically give the runner-up the seat that was being vacated by someone moving up to another position, be it mayor, council, county commissioner, state representative, etc. I would bet that if you ask the average Hamilton voter what he or she thinks should be done in this case, that they would say to appoint the next highest vote-getter to council. This is the most logical and fair thing to do. I would hope that the currently seated council would do the right thing and appoint Ann Rowe to the council seat.

After council has resolved this issue, should council wish to avoid this issue from happening in the future, they might consider having the charter revision committee review the charter and then revise the charter wording to address this issue and present it to the electors of Hamilton for a public vote as a charter amendment. This action would show the community that this current council is addressing the issue in a fair and impartial manner and giving the Hamilton voter a voice in solving the problem. Should the charter revision committee find other issues that have plagued other councils and administrations in the past, this would be a good time to review the entire charter and make appropriate changes.

Hamilton is the county seat of government for Butler County. Being the main city in the county brings with it certain responsibilities. The smaller communities need to be able to look at Hamilton as a model for how city government should be operated. The smaller cities and villages should be able to point to Hamilton and be proud of it as the county seat.

Ron Pitman

Springdale

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