EARLY VOTING HOURS
The Butler County Board of Election, 1802 Princeton Road, is open for voting prior to the Nov. 5 general election, commonly referred to as early voting. The hours before Election Day on Nov. 5 is:
• 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays until Thursday, except for Wednesday when the office is open until 7 p.m.
• 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 1
• 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 2
• 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 4
Source: Butler County Board of Elections
VOTERS GUIDE ONLINE
Candidates running for office in Butler and Warren counties have been asked to participate in our annual voters guide. Access the guide at vote.journal-news.com
Three of the four candidates vying for a spot as trustee for Ohio’s largest township have collectively received $29,791.89 in contributions for their campaigns.
But five-term West Chester Twp. trustee Catherine Stoker contributed more than that from her own pocket as the Nov. 5 general election looms large.
Stoker, who brought forward about $764 from her previous campaign, put $30,000 of her own money toward this campaign, plus $250 from Friends of Don Dixon.
“This way I don’t have to ask people for money or promise them stuff,” she said. “In the early days, I did some little fundraisers where I got a bit of money, a few hundreds of dollars, but by and large, I’ve paid for my own (campaigns).”
Stoker’s campaign has spent a little more than $10,125 toward re-election.
Committees for candidates that spend and/or receive a collective $1,000 through Oct. 16 were required to file pre-general election campaign finance reports with the Butler County Board of Elections office by Thursday.
Of the nearly $7,539 that two-term incumbent Trustee Lee Wong has in his campaign coffers, about $7,139 is from last report. That means the $400 he accepted in contributions came from three monetary contributions during this campaign. Wong’s campaign has spent about $1,793.
Challenger Mark Welch’s campaign accepted $16,510 for the campaign — $7,410 in contributions and $9,100 in other income, including loans of $5,100 from Welch, $2,000 from Chip DeMois and $2,000 from Randy Simmons.
Contributions included $1,000 from Rumpke Vice President Jeffrey Rumpke, $500 from former West Chester Twp. trustee Dick Alderson, and $500 from Hutsenpiller Contractors President Bob Hutsenpiller.
Of the $16,510 available, Welch’s campaign spent nearly $9,859.
Challenger Matt King brought forward just a little more than $605 from his last report but raised about $3,776, plus saw $1,000 in total other income via a loan from King. Donations of between $100 and $300 came from Butler County Republican Party Chairman and longtime Liberty Twp. Trustee David Kern and his wife Katie, State Representative Margie Conditt of Liberty Twp. and West Chester Twp. Trustee George Lang.
Of the more than $4,776 available to King, his campaign spent nearly $4,527.
LIBERTY TWP.
Three of the four candidates vying for two open Liberty Twp. trustee spots have received a combined $46,285 in support and spent nearly $29,384.
Tom Farrell, who was appointed trustee in March, leads the four candidates with $20,540 in donations, including $2,500 from Hutsenpiller, $1,000 from Gary Keller of Liberty Twp., $800 from various Terry family relatives of the Liberty Twp. development Carriage Hill, $500 from Bob Garland of Garland Dental and $500 from Alderson.
Farrell’s campaign spent $11,420.22, thus far.
Three-term incumbent Christine Matacic raised $14,280, including a $1,000 contribution from HBA Build-PAC, $700 from various Terry family relatives and a collective $500 from area restaurant owners/franchisees Todd and Becky Wilber. .
Matacic’s campaign spent about $6,795.
Challenger Jeff Newman raised $11,465, including $1,000 from State Farm Insurance agent Brent Arter, $1,000 from Loren Schramm of OK Interiors Corp., $500 from Alderson and $500 from Truck Drivers Chauffeurs and Helpers Local 100.
Newman’s campaign spent about $11,168.
Challenger Robert Coogan signed a waiver in July agreeing that he would not be accepting contributions exceeding $2,000, nor would he be spending anything in excess of that amount. Therefore, Coogan’s campaign committee was not required to file any campaign finance reports.
All candidates’ election campaigns must file a post-general election campaign finance report for activity through Dec. 6 by 4 p.m. Dec. 13 no matter how much money they raised or spent, according to the board of elections.
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