Election Guide: Butler County voters to decide more than 60 races today

Among Butler County’s larger communities and school districts with contested races, here is who will be on the Nov. 7 general election ballot:

FAIRFIELD

All of Fairfield City Council’s ward seats are up for election in November, but only one will be contested. The incumbent council members for the First, Second and Fourth wards are uncontested. However, with Councilman Terry Senger not seeking re-election to his Third Ward Council seat, Debbie Pennington, a former Fairfield vice mayor and ward city council member, and William Campbell, the husband of Fairfield Municipal Court Judge Joyce Campbell, are seeking election to the open seat.

The at-large and mayor seats on Fairfield City Council will be up for election in two years.

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Click to visit our Voter Guide and learn about candidates for local races

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FAIRFIELD TWP.

Voters in Fairfield Twp. will see one challenged seat up for election this fall. Fiscal Officer Shelly Schultz, who’s seeking her second elected term, is challenged by Libra Henry, a five-year resident.

Schultz was first appointed as the township fiscal officer in 2018 and elected for her first full term in 2019. Henry works for the Internal Revenue Service.

Trustee Joe McAbee is uncontested on the ballot as he’s seeking another term on the board of trustees.

HAMILTON

Three of the seven seats on Hamilton City Council are up for election this year, and four people are seeking the job. Three of the candidates ― Carla Fiehrer, Eric Pohlman and Susan Vaughn ― are pursuing re-election to the body, and first-time candidate Andrew Conn also wants to serve on the board.

While three will be elected, the top vote-getter will become the city’s vice mayor for the next two years.

HAMILTON SCHOOLS

Four candidates are seeking two open seats on the Hamilton City Schools Board of Education, where they will be a part of the five-member board guiding the near-10,000 student district. Incumbent school board member Shaquila Mathews is seeking a second four-year term, while candidates Cameron Binegar, Dr. Joseph Copas and Robin Szary are seeking their first terms.

All four candidates attended a recent forum hosted by the Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, TVHamilton and Miami Downtown Hamilton.

Current school board member Steve Isgro is not seeking re-election.

LAKOTA SCHOOLS

One of Butler County’s most closely watched school board races will involve the same board that has already been in the headlines for months.

The Lakota Board of Education race has four candidates vying for two open seats on the governing board of Butler County’s largest school system and the eighth-largest in Ohio, with more than 17,200 students.

Since 2022, the board has been a high-profile and contentious focus of some of its members and among many residents in the Lakota district, which spans both Liberty and West Chester townships.

Much of the clashes have revolved around board member Darbi Boddy, who has another year to serve for her term.

Two incumbents are seeking to return for another four-year term and they are being challenged by two former Lakota board candidates Douglas Horten and Russ Loges, who both ran and lost in 2021.

Also on the November ballot are Lakota Board of Education President Lynda O’Connor and Julie Shaffer.

MIDDLETOWN MAYOR

There are two candidates running for mayor to fill the seat currently occupied by Nicole Condrey, who decided not to seek re-election after one term. Joe Mulligan, who previously served eight years on council, and Elizabeth Slamka are the two mayoral candidates.

MIDDLETOWN CITY COUNCIL

Six candidates are running for two open council seats, and the field does not include Vice Mayor Monica Thomas and longtime council member Tal Moon deciding. Both decided not to run for re-election.

But not all candidates in the field will have names on the ballot.

Candidates Jennifer Burg-Carter, Clayton Castle, John Ferrando, Jeffrey Wellbaum, Steven West II and write-in candidate Kristi Asbury are seeking election to one of the two open seats. Being a write-in candidate, though, Asbury’s name will not be on the ballot. Instead, voters must write her name on their ballot.

All but Burg-Carter attended a recent candidate forum sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce serving Middletown, Monroe, and Trenton.

MIDDLETOWN SCHOOL BOARD

There are five candidates, including three incumbents, for three seats.

Those running include incumbents Board President Chris Urso, Anita Scheibert and Verlena Stewart and candidates Charles Cokeley and Holly Snow. Stewart is filling the unexpired term of Michelle Novak.

During a recent candidate forum, Cokeley and Snow were unable to attend, said Rick Pearce, chamber president.

Middletown City Schools has around 6,200 students.

MONROE CITY COUNCIL

There are six candidates for the four open seats. The field includes Mayor Keith Funk, Vice Mayor Christina McElfresh, council member Michael Graves and candidates Thomas Hagedorn, Randy Smith, and Candice Smith-Bowling.

MADISON SCHOOL BOARD

There are five candidates running for three seats. The candidates are Lee Corder, Donald Distler, board member Amy Black Jessee, board Vice President Joseph Solomito, and Alex Webb.

WEST CHESTER TWP.

There are two uncontested races, incumbent Trustee Ann Becker and incumbent Fiscal Officer Bruce Jones.

Election 2023

Voter registration: Those who are not registered to vote can do so until Tuesday by going online at VoteOhio.gov or visiting the county board of elections office. Also, registered voters can update their voter information, including registration status or a change of address.

Early voting: Early voting begins Wednesday. Voters can cast in-office ballots at the Butler County Board of Elections, 1802 Princeton Road, Hamilton. They can also request a vote-by-mail absentee ballot by downloading a form from VoteOhio.gov or contacting the county elections office at 513-887-3700. Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 6 (you should ask the post office to postmark the envelope).

Early voting times: Ohio has four weeks of in-person early voting. Here are the times and dates:

Election Day: Election Day is Nov. 7, and polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters who did not mail back any vote-by-mail absentee ballots may drop them off at the county elections office on Princeton Road. Polling locations cannot accept vote-by-mail ballots.

More details

The Journal-News is providing readers with election-related content every Sunday, including today, where we’re looking at the more populous cities, townships, and school districts in Butler County. Not all races are contested, meaning there are not more candidates than open seats up for election in those contests.

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