Hamilton will have a crowded city council race in November

At least seven people are planning to run for three Hamilton City Council seats in November, including two people who hold them now, Matt Von Stein and Carla Fiehrer.

The number of contestants may grow, because according to the Butler County Board of Elections, 12 people have pulled petitions to run for the four-year position that pays $300 per year. Others might have pulled them online, without letting the board know they did so.

The deadline to file petitions is Wednesday. The third person who now holds a council seat, Kathleen Klink, announced earlier this year she would not seek re-election after 10 years on council and 47 in public education, including as superintendent of the Lakota Local School District.

Candidates who recently filed, aside from Von Stein and Fiehrer, are:

  • Jason Snyder
  • Casey Hume

So far, the board of elections has certified the signatures on petitions of three candidates who are seeking to run, all of them challengers:

  • 2017 Hamilton High School graduate Danny Ivers, a college student who has worked at small businesses in the city and was first to be certified
  • 2016 Hamilton small-businessman of the year, Eric Pohlman, who founded and operated Eric's Auto & Tire Service
  • Susan Vaughn, who last August retired as director of Miami University's Office of Ethics and Student Conflict Resolution, where she oversaw student discipline

Meanwhile, the election board keeps a list of others who have taken out petitions to run for office. They are:

  • Andrew Conn
  • Roger Hougland
  • Brandon Riley
  • Jamie Bowling
  • Former Council Member Archie Johnson

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